Google Will Relaunch Gemini in a ‘Few Weeks,’ After Its Racial Controversy

Google faced backlash for its new AI image generator, Gemini, which struggled to consistently create images of white individuals. Right-wing influencers accused the tech giant of reverse racism due to the app’s difficulties in producing accurate depictions of white people, particularly in historical contexts like Vikings or Nazis. Google temporarily disabled Gemini’s capabilities but now plans to relaunch the app after addressing the issue.

During a conference, Google DeepMind CEO, Demis Hassabis, acknowledged the problem with Gemini and stated the feature had been taken offline for fixing, with plans to relaunch in the upcoming weeks. The controversy gained momentum as figures like Tim Pool and Matt Walsh criticized the AI’s ineffectiveness in generating images of white individuals, citing examples where prompts for “Viking pictures” or “Founding Fathers” resulted in ethnically diverse representations rather than European ones.

Personal testing confirmed the app’s struggles with creating consistent images of white people, as it easily produced ethnically diverse portrayals but faced obstacles when asked to depict individuals of European descent. The app’s responses to requests for white figures varied, often avoiding generating images solely based on race or ethnicity. Gemini’s historical inaccuracies, such as depicting Black Vikings or racially diverse Nazis, further fueled the controversy, prompting Google to apologize for the inappropriate images.

This incident adds to existing concerns about AI image generators perpetuating racist representations of people of color, though highlighting that there are more severe ethical implications with AI technology beyond the exclusion of white individuals from historical imagery. Google’s commitment to addressing and relaunching Gemini underscores the ongoing challenges in developing inclusive and accurate AI applications.