Post #2190464

Let's talk about depicting #AI in articles & slides: Usually its humanoid robots, glowing brains, outstretched robot hands, blue backgrounds, and the Terminator. These stereotypes are not just overworked, they can be surprisingly unhelpful. Here you can find Better Images of AI: https://betterimagesofai.org/ (CC BY) 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬? Abstract, futuristic or science-fiction-inspired images of AI hinder the understanding of the technology’s already significant societal and environmental impacts. Images relating machine intelligence to human intelligence or consciousness set unrealistic expectations, misstate the capabilities of AI and mask the accountability of the ones developing the technology. Such images potentially sow fear, and research shows they are laden with problematic assumptions about gender, ethnicity and religion. 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞: Rehak, R. (2025) AI Narrative Breakdown. A Critical Assessment of Power and Promise. ACM FAccT '25. https://doi.org/10.1145/3715275.3732083