Google 'three black teenagers' mugshot stereotyping
Images generated by a search on Google for 'three black teenagers' contrasted sharply with those for a search on the phrase 'three white teenagers', prompting accusations of racial stereotyping and bias. 18-year-old graduate Kabir Alli found that a search on Google Images for three black teenagers returned a series of photos of police mugshots, whereas a search for three white teenagers mostly consisted of smiling young males. The discovery prompted a wave of complaints on Twitter, to which Alli had posted a video showing his findings, with some people accusing Google of stereotyping. Others claimed it constituted outright racism. A number suggested it was reflective of views held across a broad spectrum of society. System 🤖 Google I mages 🔗 Operator: Alphabet/Google Developer: Alphabet/Google Country: USA Sector: Media/entertainment/sports/arts Purpose: Rank content/search results Technology: Search engine algorithm; Machine learning Issue: Bias/discrimination
- Date it happened
- 2016-06-01
- Organisation involved
- Product, system or model
- Google Images
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