MIT Grad’s AI-Generated LinkedIn Pic Sets New Standard

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07th Aug, 2023. 09:05 pm
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An Asian MIT graduate used an AI image editor to create a professional portrait for her LinkedIn profile.
The AI tool drastically transformed her appearance, giving her fairer skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes.
Wang shared the picture on social media and sparked a conversation about AI bias and inclusivity.

Rona Wang, a 24-year-old Asian MIT graduate, decided to use an AI image editor to create a professional portrait for her LinkedIn profile.

To enhance her headshot to appear more “professional,” she was shocked by the outcome. The AI tool drastically transformed her appearance, giving her fairer skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes, which was not at all what she had anticipated.

Wang shared the picture on social media platform X and wrote, “was trying to get a LinkedIn profile photo with AI editing and this is what it gave me.”

In the original photograph, Wang was seen wearing a maroon MIT sweatshirt.

When she uploaded this image to the AI tool, she instructed it to create a professional LinkedIn profile photo for her, specifying that it should enhance the girl’s appearance from the original picture.

Much to her surprise, the AI tool completely transformed her appearance, resulting in a fairer complexion, dark blonde hair, and blue eyes. In essence, the photo editor had changed her into a white woman.

Despite her initial amusement at the result, Wang expressed her satisfaction at the conversation it sparked on the issue of AI bias and inclusivity within this emerging technology. “My initial reaction upon seeing the result was amusement. However, I’m glad to see that this has catalyzed a larger conversation around AI bias and who is or isn’t included in this new wave of technology,” Ms. Wang told Insider.

Ms. Wang added, “I haven’t obtained any satisfactory outcomes from AI photo generators or editors yet, so, for now, I’ll have to forgo a new LinkedIn profile photo.”

The tweet sharing her experience also caught the attention of Playground AI’s founder, Suhail Doshi.

Doshi responded by saying, “The models aren’t instructable like that, so it’ll pick any generic thing based on the prompt. Unfortunately, they’re not smart enough. I am more than happy to assist you in obtaining a result, but it requires more effort compared to something like ChatGPT.”

What are your thoughts? Tell us in the comments section below.

MIT Grad’s AI-Generated LinkedIn Pic Sets New Standard

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