Meta's AI image generator consistently failed to create accurate images of Asian people with white people, instead generating images where all people appeared Asian, demonstrating systematic racial bias in the system's outputs.
A journalist tested Meta's AI image generator available through Instagram direct messages and discovered systematic racial bias in the system's outputs. When prompted to create images featuring both Asian and white people using various prompts like 'Asian man and Caucasian friend' or 'Asian man and white wife,' the system consistently generated images where all people appeared Asian rather than the requested mixed-race representations. Out of dozens of attempts, only once did the system successfully create an accurate image showing an Asian woman with a white man. The bias extended beyond romantic relationships to platonic friendships and appeared across different demographic specifications. The system also exhibited stereotypical representations, automatically adding cultural elements like bindis and saris to South Asian women without being prompted. When the journalist asked for 'Asian woman with Black friend,' it generated two Asian women. After the journalist contacted Meta for comment, the system temporarily stopped generating any Asian people at all, returning error messages for prompts mentioning Asian individuals. The feature was restored after 40 minutes but continued to exhibit the same biased behavior. Meta did not respond to requests for comment about the systematic bias or the temporary removal of functionality.
Domain classification, causal taxonomy, severity scores, and national security assessments were LLM-classified and may contain errors.
Unequal treatment of individuals or groups by AI, often based on race, gender, or other sensitive characteristics, resulting in unfair outcomes and unfair representation of those groups.
AI system
Due to a decision or action made by an AI system
Unintentional
Due to an unexpected outcome from pursuing a goal
Post-deployment
Occurring after the AI model has been trained and deployed