Unmasking Bias in AI Imagery: A Struggle for Gender Equality

OK, I've read about this, but first time I've experienced it - generative AI can be super biased when creating images.

I wanted a 'photographic' image to accompany a LinkedIn post, and sometimes I find it's easier to 'brief' generative AI for exactly the image I have in mind, rather than try to find something similar from an image bank. The image I wanted was of a man and woman, the woman in the role of a senior recruitment consultant, the man in the role of a junior job seeker.

I tried about 10-15 times, using both DALL-E and Midjourney. (DALL-E seems less biased, but in recent days it's been struggling to create images with a photographic quality.) Midjourney - wow. Every time I tried, I got back images where the man looked too senior and too authoritative. Sometimes just by subtle body language cues - but it was always there.

Eventually I changed the prompt to include "Older confident businesswoman and younger nervous businessman in a meeting" Still I got results where the man looks fairly confident and authoritative. (And not even remotely ‘young’!)

I'm horrified by this. I realise there is a huge gender imbalance in senior roles in many industries - but in the real world there are also many accomplished and successful women at the highest level. Much more senior than the vast majority of men in those companies.

While we work on addressing gender imbalances in real-life, the least we should expect is for AI to follow clear instructions. Otherwise, as others have pointed out, it will reinforce the undesirable characteristics in our world, rather than breaking them down and being a force for change.