Ethical AI Isn't to Blame for Google's Gemini Debacle

Earlier this month, Google released its long-awaited system "Gemini," giving users access to its AI image-generation technology for the first time. While most early users agreed that the system was impressive, creating detailed images for text prompts in seconds, users soon discovered that it was difficult to get the system to generate images of white people, and soon viral tweets displayed head-scratching examples such as racially diverse Nazis. Some people faulted Gemini for being "too woke," using Gemini as the latest weapon in an escalating culture war on the importance of recognizing the effects of historical discrimination. Many said it reflected a malaise inside Google, and some criticized the field of "AI ethics" as an embarrassment. The idea that ethical AI work is to blame is wrong.