This is what the 'perfect' man and woman look like, according to AI
Artificial intelligence has unrealistic and often dangerous ideas of what the “perfect” man and woman look like, according to a new study. Chiselled features, olive skin and eight-pack abs are among the features that kept cropping up when three leading AI image generators were tasked with creating “ideal” male and female bodies. The challenge was put to the popular programmes Dall-E 2, Stable Diffusion, and Midjourney by eating disorder awareness group the Bulimia Project, which separated its request into two parts. First up, it asked the generators to come up with pictures of men and women based specifically on beauty standards set by social media. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Although it churned out quite a few different options, it showed a number of noticeable biases. Nearly all of the images featured petite women – with Midjourney named as the worst culprit – and all of the men looked like photoshopped versions of bodybuilders. The three AI favoured women with blonde hair and men with brown hair, and nearly half of the male images had facial hair. After analysing their findings based on social media, the Bulimia Project team broadened the scope of the task. This time, they asked the programmes to base their creations on images from across the internet. The main difference between the two categories was that the social media set was “far more sexually charged”, according to the study’s authors. The social media images also featured “largely disproportionate body parts”, which the Bulimia Project described as “unsettling”. “We can only assume that the reason AI came up with so many oddly shaped versions of the physiques it found on social media is that these platforms promote unrealistic body types, to begin with,” it said. “In the age of Instagram and Snapchat filters, no one can reasonably achieve the physical standards set by social media. So, why try to meet unrealistic ideals? It’s both mentally and physically healthier to keep body image expectations squarely in the realm of reality.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-05-21 15:59
Drug dealer commuted by Obama charged with shooting woman in road rage attack
A former crack cocaine dealer who was granted clemency by former president Barack Obama has been jailed for allegedly shooting a car passenger on an Illinois highway, police officials said. The accused Alton D Mills has been charged with three counts of attempted murder, the Illinois state police department said on Thursday as it announced the 54-year-old’s arrest and charges. He has been accused of firing “multiple shots” at another vehicle behind him on an Interstate ramp in Posen. “Multiple shots were fired from the suspect vehicle, striking the victim’s vehicle. The back-seat passenger in the victim’s vehicle was struck by gunfire and was transported to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries,” the police said in a statement. The incident took place at a village roughly 30 miles south of Chicago. He is now held at the Cook County Jail with no bond, the police statement added. Mr Mills was arrested after an extensive probe led to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office to approve three counts of attempted murder, the police department said. In 2016, Mr Mills was relieved from his life sentence by the Obama administration after serving 22 years in prison over drug charges. He was among the 95 individuals whose sentences were commuted by Mr Obama. The pardon document by the Department of Justice cites his offence as “conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine base and cocaine and conspiracy to use communication facilities in the commission of drug trafficking offences; use of communication facility to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base (two counts).” This is in addition to the charges of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base. He was found guilty of being part of a crack cocaine conspiracy on federal charges by the authorities in 1994, a news release from the Pritzker School of Law at Northwestern University shows. Mills is being held with no bond at the Cook County Jail. Read More Mexico withdraws prison sentence against of who killed her rapist in self defense Minnesota bill legalizing recreational pot passes Senate, heads to governor's desk Whistleblowers expose sexual violence and ‘institutional misogyny’ in armed forces Scorsese debuts 'Killers of the Flower Moon' in Cannes to thunderous applause International appeal on 22 decades-old murder cases receives hundreds of tip-offs
2023-05-21 15:57
Animal health body urges bird flu vaccination to avoid pandemic
By Sybille de La Hamaide PARIS Governments should consider vaccinating birds against bird flu to avoid the virus
2023-05-21 15:55
Dungannon: NI’s ‘diversity town’ goes to the polls
The East Timorese community are voting in their country's elections at a polling station in Dungannon.
2023-05-21 15:48
Mothers wanted to watch horrific footage of their children escaping the Robb Elementary massacre. Here's why we showed them. And why they want others to see
One year on from the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School, moms of surviving children still had questions -- what had their sons and daughters gone through?
2023-05-21 15:27
Labour Urges Inquiry Into Whether Braverman Broke Rules
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak suggested he would seek answers after a newspaper report that Home Secretary Suella
2023-05-21 15:26
Hong Kong Chief to Visit Singapore, Asean Members in July: SCMP
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee is planning to lead a one-week delegation to Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia
2023-05-21 14:49
Why Is China Suddenly Shutting Down Concerts and Events?
Saturday’s “What the Folkstival” outdoor concert was meant to kick off in the early afternoon in a Beijing
2023-05-21 14:28
Boston debuts a digital pop-up libraries pilot program at 20 bus stops
Boston is making reading on-the-go more accessible through a pilot program that will allow riders to access digital content from audiobooks to newspapers at some bus stops across the city -- no library card required.
2023-05-21 14:27
An engaged North Carolina couple is planning their dream wedding after fiancé wins $150,000 lottery prize
One couple's dream wedding will become reality after a North Carolina man won the first top prize of $150,000 in a newly launched scratch-off game -- the first time the top prize had been claimed since the game launched earlier this month.
2023-05-21 13:25
A missing Texas woman has been found dead and a man is in custody on suspicion of murder, police say
A 20-year-old woman who had been missing for more than a week in western Texas was found dead Saturday, and a man has been arrested in connection with her killing, police said.
2023-05-21 13:20
UK’s Bond Bears Hunker Down Before Big Week for Economic Data
UK bond bears are going into a week of key economic data undaunted. Swaps trading suggests any respite
2023-05-21 13:15
