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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Alaina Demopoulos

The inherent misogyny of AI portraits – Amelia Earhart rendered naked on a bed

Amelia Earhart and Betty Friedan as imagined by the Lensa AI.
Amelia Earhart and Betty Friedan as imagined by the Lensa AI. Photograph: Lensa AI/The Guardian

Officially, the Lensa AI app creates “magic avatars” that turn a user’s selfies into lushly stylized works of art. It’s been touted by celebrities such as Chance the Rapper, Tommy Dorfman, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Britney Spears’ husband, Sam Asghari. But for many women the app does more than just spit out a pretty picture: the final results are highly sexualized, padding women’s breasts and turning their bodies into hourglass physiques.

“Is it just me or are these AI selfie generator apps perpetuating misogyny?” tweeted Brandee Barker, a feminist and advocate who has worked in the tech industry. “Here are a few I got just based off of photos of my face.” One of Barker’s results showed her wearing supermodel-length hair extensions and a low-cut catsuit. Another featured her in a white bra with cleavage spilling out from the top.

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