AI technology raises ethical questions: 4chan users 'dress' women in AI‑generated photos
The advanced capabilities of artificial intelligence provoke both awe and fear. AI-generated images are so realistic that it becomes easy to question their authenticity. To address this, Google has introduced a requirement for such photos to be appropriately marked. However, the risk of deceit is still high, and with it, the likelihood of the spread of fake news. The “pictures or it didn’t happen” arguments hold little weight today.
Feb 5, 2024 | updated: 4:18 AM EST, March 7, 2024
It’s crucial to remember that AI isn't an evil entity. It can be an invaluable tool in many industries, streamlining various processes and providing creative solutions.
An unusual application of AI: Artificial intelligence 'dressing' women
Users on the 4chan site trialled artificial intelligence, assigning it a peculiar role. AI was given the task of “improving” women’s photographs. Conservative 4chan users employed this tool to modify the images of women who seemingly violated their values.
Consequently, the woman posing in a cut-out dress vanished. Thanks to the AI's intervention, her photograph depicted her in a wholly covered outfit. The model in front of a mirror in a top and panties was given a new ensemble - a dusty pink dress fastened at the neck with a waist-cinching belt. A similar fate befell the photograph of a woman in lingerie standing on a seaside cliff, where a sober dress replaced a frilly set. All these updated clothing share standard features: a stereotypically neat, tidy appearance complete with rounded collars and neatly buttoned buttons in "good girls" style.
That wasn't the end of it. The 4chan users took a step further to "improve" the photograph of a woman with tattoos and piercings. Not only were her tattoos and piercings removed, but in a contradictory move, given their professed fondness for natural beauty and traditional values, they artificially 'gifted' her a "breast enlargement operation".
It should be noted that using AI to either "dress" or "undress" women is inappropriate. Both actions seem to serve one ulterior motive - to control how women should look based on societal expectations.
