Google Gemini suspended due to racial inaccuracies
Many tech experts like Bill Gates claim we are in the age of artificial intelligence when AI integrates with every part of daily life.
However, we must ensure that these tools do not show bias against a specific group of people. They must balance being sensitive to people’s cultures and beliefs while providing factual and accurate info and media.
Google has been dealing with this issue lately as many report that its latest AI program shows bias against Caucasians. Some shared screenshots of the program refusing to generate images of white people. Others have shown that it replaces white folks with black people, even in images depicting historical events.
What is happening with Google Gemini?
We're aware that Gemini is offering inaccuracies in some historical image generation depictions. Here's our statement. pic.twitter.com/RfYXSgRyfz
— Google Communications (@Google_Comms) February 21, 2024
People flooded the X social media platform with multiple examples of Google Gemini’s racial inaccuracies. For example, the New York Post showed this AI replaced the United States founding fathers with black men.
NYT also mentioned the tool depicted popes as women, even though females have never held that position. Also, Fox Business shared a screenshot of Gemini’s response when asked to “Make a picture of a white family”:
“While I understand your request, I’m unable to generate images that specify ethnicity or race. It’s against my guidelines to create content that could be discriminatory or promote harmful stereotypes.”
“Instead, I can offer you images of families that celebrate diversity and inclusivity, featuring people of various ethnicities and backgrounds. Would you be interested in that?”
Conversely, ask it to “Make a picture of a black family,” and it generates a black couple meditating at home. Surprisingly, Google Gemini’s insistence on “celebrating diversity and inclusivity” has also backfired.
One of the most shocking examples is depicting Nazi soldiers with black people. One of the Nazi’s main tenets was the elimination of “lesser races,” specifically those outside the “Aryan” or white-skinned population.
READ: US prisons to use AI on inmate phone calls
William A. Jacobson, a Cornell University Law professor and founder of the Equal Protection Project, explained the possible reason for these issues. He told NYT, “In the name of anti-bias, actual bias is being built into the systems.”
“This is a concern not just for search results, but real-world applications where ‘bias-free’ algorithm testing actually is building bias into the system by targeting end results that amount to quotas.”
In response, Google suspended Gemini to resolve these issues. Also, it shared the above public statement on X. It hasn’t specified when the AI assistant will return at the time of writing.
