Google announced the temporary suspension of its Gemini artificial intelligence image generation feature, following criticism regarding inaccuracies in historical depictions. Users on social media raised concerns about the tool generating images of historical figures, such as the U.S. Founding Fathers, with inaccurate racial characteristics. Google acknowledged the shortcomings of the AI feature, admitting that it “missed the mark” in historical contexts and pledged to work on improving these depictions promptly.
Initially launched as part of Gemini, formerly known as Bard, the image generator tool faced challenges shortly after its introduction in February. This setback comes at a time when Google is striving to compete with Microsoft-backed OpenAI, which recently unveiled its new generative AI model, Sora, capable of producing video from text prompts. Despite facing hurdles with Gemini’s image creation capabilities, Google remains committed to refining its AI technologies to cater to its global user base and address concerns related to representation and bias.
Jack Krawczyk, a senior director of product for Gemini at Google, emphasized the company’s dedication to ensuring accurate representations, particularly in historical contexts. While the tool aims to offer diverse and universal images, it recognizes the need for more nuanced adjustments when depicting historical figures. Google’s decision to pause the Gemini feature demonstrates its commitment to addressing user feedback and enhancing the accuracy of its AI-generated images before re-releasing an improved version to users.
