Google announced on Thursday that it would temporarily suspend its Gemini artificial intelligence chatbot's capability to generate images of people, following widespread concerns over inaccuracies in historical depictions produced by the system.
Critics raised questions about Google's approach to addressing racial bias in its AI model after users shared screenshots on social media this week. These screenshots depicted historically white-dominated scenes featuring racially diverse characters, leading to speculation that the company may be over-correcting for potential biases within its AI algorithms.
In response to the feedback, Google issued a statement on the social media platform X, acknowledging the recent issues with Gemini's image generation feature. "While we do this, we’re going to pause the image generation of people and will re-release an improved version soon," the company stated.
Previous studies have highlighted the tendency of AI image-generators to reinforce racial and gender stereotypes present in their training data. Without appropriate filters, these systems are more likely to produce images of lighter-skinned individuals, particularly men, when prompted to generate representations of people in various contexts.
Google's acknowledgment of inaccuracies in historical image generation depictions came a day prior to the announcement of the temporary suspension. The company expressed its commitment to promptly addressing these concerns and improving the quality of generated images.
Gemini, known for its ability to generate a wide range of images, including depictions of people, has faced criticism for "missing the mark" in its recent outputs. When questioned by the Associated Press about its image generation capabilities, the chatbot responded by affirming ongoing efforts to enhance this aspect of its functionality.
"We expect this feature to return soon and will notify you in release updates when it does," Gemini assured, signaling its intent to rectify the issues raised by users and deliver improved results in future iterations.
As Google works towards refining the Gemini AI chatbot's image generation capabilities, the temporary halt underscores the complexities involved in mitigating biases and ensuring accuracy in AI-driven systems. The company's commitment to addressing feedback and enhancing the performance of its AI models reflects ongoing efforts to uphold ethical standards and deliver inclusive technology solutions to users worldwide.
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