Google AI will stop assuming your gender and won’t tag you as “man” or “woman” in photos
Feb 21, 2020
Dunja Đuđić Kalinin
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, concerts, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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Google’s AI labels what it sees in your photos, and sometimes it doesn’t really do the best job. Now Google has announced some changes and its Cloud Vision API tool is going gender-neutral. Instead of labeling people in photos as “man” or “woman,” the tool will now play it safe and label them simply as “person.”
Business Insider obtained a recent email reportedly sent to Google developers. It reads that the company’s AI tool shall no longer use “gendered labels” to tag images. According to Google, this change will be introduced because “a person’s gender cannot be inferred by appearance.” Indeed, I believe that we can all agree on this one.
The email further reads that the changes will be implemented in order to align with Google’s own Artificial Intelligence Principles, “specifically Principle #2: Avoid creating or reinforcing unfair bias.” This principle reads as follows:
“AI algorithms and datasets can reflect, reinforce, or reduce unfair biases. We recognize that distinguishing fair from unfair biases is not always simple, and differs across cultures and societies. We will seek to avoid unjust impacts on people, particularly those related to sensitive characteristics such as race, ethnicity, gender, nationality, income, sexual orientation, ability, and political or religious belief.”
Perhaps you remember the scandal from a few years ago when Google Photos app tagged African Americans as “gorillas.” Google “fixed” the issue almost three years later by simply removing the “gorilla” label from its algorithm. I guess it was the simplest and possibly the safest solution.
As for the latest “gender-neutral” tagging system, as I already mentioned, I agree that someone’s gender can’t be determined from someone’s looks. So I guess this is a good call, but I feel that Google played it safe again. However, with dozens of genders that are recognized today, who can blame them? It’s better to just play it safe and tag someone as “person” than to assume their gender. After all, the only certain (and the most important) thing is that that’s what we all are – people.
[via The Verge, Business Insider]
Dunja Đuđić Kalinin
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, concerts, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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33 responses to “Google AI will stop assuming your gender and won’t tag you as “man” or “woman” in photos”
No its ridiculous.
Oh FFS…!!!! It’s stupid, ridiculous and, frankly, pointless…!
Marios Forsos Um..to tell you the truth this is not bad. I had an acquaintance get mistaken for a transwoman because he has long hair.
Jessica Manigault yes, but it was a mistake by a machine! It was not a personal affront or intentional insult… c’mon…let us be a bit realistic here…we should be able to laugh at these things, not be insulted…!
Marios Forsos Well, of course you can laugh at this because you’ve never been mistaken for another gender. Also another thing is these machines suck when it comes to recognizing darker people. So I can see this frustrating alot of POC being mistaken for other genders.
Jessica Manigault still…I see what you’re saying, but again…it’s a stupid machine using pixels. It does not define you or anyone in any way. If we, as a society, in our need to accurately define or not define our sex, lose our ability to laugh about accidents and mistakes, then we really have lost all that makes us unique. If a girl with short hair gets mistaken for a guy cannot laugh the hell out of it, then WTF… but, you know what, it’s done, so… I just think it’s stupid…:-(
Marios Forsos Well, some people are more marginalized in this society than others.
Right, so remove the possibility for error, and don’t have the “stupid machines” trying to guess gender.
Jessica Manigault who gives a f… if you are mistaken for a man or a women? Who cares? As long as you know who you are, why would you worry about what others think?? Are you/they that insecure? Why people get offended so is totally beyond me. It is just WORDS!
Maggie McCall So if a machine is constantly calling you a man over and over again is not going to be a blow to someone’s esteem? Especially when it supposed to help you. Look I see this as big problem towards darker people with facial recognition. Darker features Register as more masculine.
How stupid , on another note please refer to me as tax exempt dinosaur
I find it kinda ridiculous
Oh my goodness, get a life! What about us normal people who want to be a man or a women?? You know? How we were born? When will people revert back to sanity and and go and learn some biology? Why is the minority all thought about first instead of the majority!!
Ironic that you’re harping on about people needing to learn stuff when you apparently don’t know the difference between sex and gender.
Danny Madison you are so clever!! Words my dear just simple words!! I guess you are one of them!!
I am indeed “one of them” who knows the difference between sex and gender – unlike you.
Danny Madison you are such a laugh!
You seem unstable.
Danny Madison Believe me, you are the one that is unstable.. Google definition of gender… Check it out….. “either of the TWO sexes (male and female), especially when considered with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones. The term is also used more broadly to denote a range of identities that do not correspond to established ideas of male and female.”
“a condition that affects people of both genders”. Do you see the word TWO? And “BOTH” genders? YEs broadly to denote range of identities, but mainly the TWO SEXES… Well I never! Get a life. you arguing over mere words!
Even the dictionary disagrees with you
https://www.dictionary.com/e/gender-vs-sex/
Actual scientists – and the science itself – also disagree with you
https://mobile.twitter.com/ScienceVet2/status/1035246030500061184
I always had this rule when it comes to someone’s gender; if you have to ask, do you really want to know?
weeee it will be fun searching for “woman in red dress” “man with one shoe”
“Soon there won’t be any guys or girls, just wankers”
Trainspotting
Urgh
good luck searching for men’s clothing now I guess…
Actually, I’m on board. Because what if you are a guy with long hair or a woman with really short hair? Also that face recognition sucks when it comes to reading darker faces. So I think it makes sense.
Even the damn robots have gone crazy! ?
Smart decision, you should never judge someone’s gender or sexual orientation.
Can’t trust searches anymore – what will happen will age appropriate content when the Democrat minds accept pedophilia as another way to love
They know.
#WOKEAF
Wow, just wow….