A shocking new report is shedding light on how tech firms are admitting to the fact that their Algorithms can perpetuate serious concerns such as discrimination.
One common example is an artist who goes by the name of Stephanie Dinkins who has been a leading name in the industry for so long. She not only produces great pieces but she’s also known for curating special products by amalgamating art with modern technology.
She’s been the winner of numerous awards and has a name held with so much pride for all kinds of breakthrough innovations where she’s gotten cash rewards as well.
In the past decade or so, we’ve seen her make the most of AI technology and really showcase black females in all lights. From happiness and celebrations to sadness, pain, grief, and worry too- you name it and she’s done it.
Did we mention the long list of interviews she’s taken on as well where she’s been questioned about her work, talent, and sheer masterpieces? But wait, it’s not all positive.
Critics were seen speaking about how her love for AI depicting realistic emotions can be super alarming, not to mention fake. For instance, you’ll find her specific algorithms putting out humans in pink shades and then covered with black-toned cloaks too.
She did expect that day would come when she would be called out and questioned for her art. Furthermore, she says that her initial pieces were just experiments, and with time, she knew it would get better and better.
According to her, it’s not hard to make an AI tool produce your desired picture through a few specific text prompts. As per her words, the machine was giving her everything she needed but the distortions are always there.
For instance, when she makes use of words like African Americans or Black women interchangeably, the features are very different. It all becomes a little distorted and problems arise at higher rates than expected.
For her, it’s all a little shocking but she’s gotten used to being but hopes change can arise soon because discrimination seems to be arising at a high rate than normal. For her, it’s the bias that the system produces that’s a worrying and alarming factor.
She hopes the system can someday understand what exactly black women are so that she does not feel nuanced.
But you’ll be amazed at how this famous artist is not alone when it comes down to putting out tough queries regarding a distorted relationship between race and the world of AI. There are plenty of people in this world who confirmed that AI intelligence is racist and it’s biased.
The problem is that the data provided to train the algorithms while producing pictures and the machines on which such programs function are of this category.
AI technologies might be ignoring or altering the actual text prompt put forward in terms of how to portray a Black in a picture. While in other cases, they might be censoring both cultures as well as their past.
We’ve seen this topic be of debate for years. From technology that recognizes a face to others having difficulty comprehending their unique speech patterns, the list can go on for days. And more and more studies and research are putting out queries linked to both bias as well as equality.
Now, the question is what’s the solution. We’ve got top tech giants working behind some of the biggest AI generators. From Midjourney to OpenAI, they all admit there’s a problem. And they’ve all also put in vows to better the tools at hand. According to them, bias is a huge issue that’s eating up the entire industry and there needs to be change to avoid it.
OpenAI was seen speaking during a recently published interview where it hoped to reduce the prevalence of such bias while trying to enhance performance at the same time. But it’s not quite clear what exactly it’s doing and how many members of its team have been delegated to work on such a huge and comprehensive task.
For now, we’re just going to have to wait and watch because it’s definitely not something that can be ignored nor can it be fixed overnight. What do you think?
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