Google has decided to halt its new Gemini AI tool following criticism from users who found fault with the image generator for replacing white historical figures with people of color.
The AI tool generated a variety of characters, including Vikings, knights, founding fathers, and Nazi soldiers with diverse racial backgrounds.
Artificial intelligence programs absorb the data they are fed, and experts caution that AI can inadvertently perpetuate the prejudices and biases present in its source material.
It seems that Google may have gone too far in trying to combat discrimination, with users repeatedly trying to get the AI to generate an image of a white person without success.
The company’s communications team acknowledged that Gemini is providing inaccuracies in some historical image generation depictions in a post to X on Wednesday.
Some users accused the AI of being racist against white people or too woke due to the historically inaccurate images.
Google acknowledged falling short in its initial statement, but emphasized that Gemini’s diverse images are beneficial as they are used by people worldwide.
Google Pauses People Images in Gemini, Promises Quick Fix
On Thursday, the company’s Communications team stated that they are already working to address recent issues with Gemini’s image generation feature.
As we work on this, we will temporarily halt the creation of images featuring people and will introduce an enhanced version shortly.
However, the announcement of the pause did not satisfy critics, who expressed their frustration with phrases like ‘go woke, go broke’.
Following the recent uproar earlier this week, Google’s Communications team released the following statement:
We are actively striving to enhance these portrayals without delay. Gemini’s AI image generation tool creates a diverse array of individuals. And that’s typically positive since individuals worldwide make use of it. However, it’s not quite hitting the target here.