Following my investigation into Instagram’s AI image generation issues related to race, the tool encountered an error message today.
By Mia Sato, a seasoned platforms and communities reporter with a track record of five years covering tech giants and their impact on society.
In my previous report, I highlighted the peculiar behavior of Meta’s AI image generator, which consistently depicted individuals as Asian regardless of the specified race in the text prompts. However, today presented a different challenge as I found myself unable to generate any images featuring Asian individuals using the same prompts as before.
The experiments conducted on Instagram’s AI image generator within direct messages revealed a persistent pattern. Despite numerous attempts with prompts like “Asian man and Caucasian friend” or “Asian man and white wife,” the system struggled to produce accurate depictions, often portraying everyone as Asian. Only on one occasion did it manage to generate an image of an Asian woman and a white man, amidst the prevalent inaccuracies.
Upon my initial outreach for comments, a Meta representative sought additional information regarding my article’s deadline, but subsequent communication was lacking. Today, in an attempt to verify if the issue had been rectified, I encountered an unexpected obstacle: an error message stating, “Looks like something went wrong. Please try again later or try a different prompt.”
Curious about this development, I enlisted a colleague from The Verge to test the system, yielding the same error message. Further attempts with broader prompts related to Asian individuals, such as “Asian man in suit” or “Asian woman shopping,” resulted in a repetition of the error message. Despite reaching out to Meta’s communications team for clarification, no response was forthcoming.
Following a brief delay, the Instagram feature began functioning for simplistic prompts like “Asian man.” The sudden shift in functionality, whether a correction or removal of a feature post-inquiry, aligns with the common practice among the companies I cover. While pondering the potential impact of my inquiries on the temporary shortage of AI-generated Asian depictions, unanswered questions linger regarding Meta’s actions or intentions.
Despite these developments, discrepancies persist within the system, evidenced by prompts like “Asian man and white woman” still generating images with both individuals depicted as Asian, reminiscent of the previous issues. As Meta continues to address these challenges, vigilance remains paramount.
Screenshots by Mia Sato / The Verge
