Meta’s AI image generator really struggles with the concept of interracial couples

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By Catherine Thorbecke, CNN

Meta generate image
This screen grab of an Imagine with Meta AI prompt shows AI-generated images. (Catherine Thorbecke/CNN via Imagine with Meta AI)


Meta’s AI image generator is coming under fire for its apparent struggles to create images of couples or friends from different racial backgrounds.

When prompted by CNN on Thursday morning to create a picture of an Asian man with a White wife, the tool spit out a slew of images of an East Asian man with an East Asian woman. The same thing happened when prompted by CNN to create an image of an Asian woman with a White husband.

When asked to create an image of a Black woman with a White husband, Meta’s AI feature generated a handful of images featuring Black couples.

[…]

And after many repeated attempts by CNN to try and get a picture of an interracial couple, the tool did eventually create an image of a White man with a Black woman and of a White man with an Asian woman.

Meta released its AI image generator in December. But tech news outlet The Verge first reported the issue with race on Wednesday, highlighting how the tool “can’t imagine” an Asian man with a White woman.

Discover how Meta responded to CNN’s query.

AI often struggles with racism.

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