Florida teen tests AI bias: Just 17.4% of images showed women scientists

A Florida teen named Peter Fernández Dulay conducted a research project to investigate the bias present in AI-generated images of scientists. His inspiration stemmed from his younger sister Elisa, who was dismayed when the Magic Media AI tool produced images of an older, light-skinned man whenever she asked for a scientist. This led Peter to question whether AI reproduces the same biases present in its learning data.

By testing four popular AI image generators, he found that women only accounted for 17.4 percent of the images, far less than the actual proportion of women in STEM fields. The only career where women were slightly overrepresented was in information security analysis. However, this disparity in representation may have implications for young aspiring scientists, who could develop misconceptions about who belongs in science and technology.

Peter's findings highlight the importance of addressing AI bias and its potential impact on perceptions of certain careers.