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T2IBias: Uncovering Societal Bias Encoded in the Latent Space of Text-to-Image Generative Models

Sufian, Abu, Distante, Cosimo, Leo, Marco, Salam, Hanan

arXiv.org Artificial Intelligence

Text-to-image (T2I) generative models are largely used in AI-powered real-world applications and value creation. However, their strategic deployment raises critical concerns for responsible AI management, particularly regarding the reproduction and amplification of race- and gender-related stereotypes that can undermine organizational ethics. In this work, we investigate whether such societal biases are systematically encoded within the pretrained latent spaces of state-of-the-art T2I models. We conduct an empirical study across the five most popular open-source models, using ten neutral, profession-related prompts to generate 100 images per profession, resulting in a dataset of 5,000 images evaluated by diverse human assessors representing different races and genders. We demonstrate that all five models encode and amplify pronounced societal skew: caregiving and nursing roles are consistently feminized, while high-status professions such as corporate CEO, politician, doctor, and lawyer are overwhelmingly represented by males and mostly White individuals. We further identify model-specific patterns, such as QWEN-Image's near-exclusive focus on East Asian outputs, Kandinsky's dominance of White individuals, and SDXL's comparatively broader but still biased distributions. These results provide critical insights for AI project managers and practitioners, enabling them to select equitable AI models and customized prompts that generate images in alignment with the principles of responsible AI. We conclude by discussing the risks of these biases and proposing actionable strategies for bias mitigation in building responsible GenAI systems. The code and Data Repository: https://github.com/Sufianlab/T2IBias


Climate Adaptation with Reinforcement Learning: Economic vs. Quality of Life Adaptation Pathways

Costa, Miguel, Vandervoort, Arthur, Drews, Martin, Morrissey, Karyn, Pereira, Francisco C.

arXiv.org Artificial Intelligence

Climate change will cause an increase in the frequency and severity of flood events, prompting the need for cohesive adaptation policymaking. Designing effective adaptation policies, however, depends on managing the uncertainty of long-term climate impacts. Meanwhile, such policies can feature important normative choices that are not always made explicit. We propose that Reinforcement Learning (RL) can be a useful tool to both identify adaptation pathways under uncertain conditions while it also allows for the explicit modelling (and consequent comparison) of different adaptation priorities (e.g. economic vs. wellbeing). We use an Integrated Assessment Model (IAM) to link together a rainfall and flood model, and compute the impacts of flooding in terms of quality of life (QoL), transportation, and infrastructure damage. Our results show that models prioritising QoL over economic impacts results in more adaptation spending as well as a more even distribution of spending over the study area, highlighting the extent to which such normative assumptions can alter adaptation policy. Our framework is publicly available: https://github.com/MLSM-at-DTU/maat_qol_framework.


Incorporating Quality of Life in Climate Adaptation Planning via Reinforcement Learning

Costa, Miguel, Vandervoort, Arthur, Drews, Martin, Morrissey, Karyn, Pereira, Francisco C.

arXiv.org Artificial Intelligence

Urban flooding is expected to increase in frequency and severity as a consequence of climate change, causing wide-ranging impacts that include a decrease in urban Quality of Life (QoL). Meanwhile, policymakers must devise adaptation strategies that can cope with the uncertain nature of climate change and the complex and dynamic nature of urban flooding. Reinforcement Learning (RL) holds significant promise in tackling such complex, dynamic, and uncertain problems. Because of this, we use RL to identify which climate adaptation pathways lead to a higher QoL in the long term. We do this using an Integrated Assessment Model (IAM) which combines a rainfall projection model, a flood model, a transport accessibility model, and a quality of life index. Our preliminary results suggest that this approach can be used to learn optimal adaptation measures and it outperforms other realistic and real-world planning strategies.


Munich airport resumes flights after suspected drones force second closure in 24 hours

BBC News

Flights have resumed at Germany's Munich airport after unconfirmed drone sightings forced it to suspend operations for the second time in 24 hours. In a statement on Friday evening, the airport said that flights were stopped at 21:30 local time (20:30 GMT), with around 6,500 passengers affected. At least 17 flights were also grounded in Munich on Thursday evening due to multiple drone sightings in nearby airspace. It was the latest in a series of incidents involving drones that have disrupted aviation in Europe in recent weeks. On Saturday morning, Munich airport said flights had been gradually ramped up, but warned that delays were expected throughout the day.


Munich airport halts flights after drone sightings; passengers stranded

Al Jazeera

Germany's Munich airport has resumed operations after drone sightings led to the cancellation of 17 flights, the diversion of 15 others and the stranding of some 3,000 passengers. Flights had restarted by early Friday, with flight tracking websites showing planes departing the airport at about 5:50am (03:50 GMT). At least 19 Lufthansa flights were affected, either cancelled or re-routed, because of the airport suspension, the spokesperson added. Earlier, the airport said that drone sightings were first reported by German air traffic control at 10:18pm local time [20:18 GMT] on Thursday, leading initially to a restriction on flights, which was then upgraded to a full suspension. Germany's DPA news agency said police reported that several people had seen a drone near the airport, with later sightings of a drone over the airport grounds.


Munich airport closes after drones spotted nearby

BBC News

Germany's Munich airport has reopened after several drone sightings forced it to close and cancel more than a dozen flights on Thursday night. At least 17 flights were grounded in Munich, affecting nearly 3,000 passengers, while the airport said it diverted a further 15 flights to nearby cities. On Friday, a spokesperson for German flag carrier Lufthansa said flight operations have since resumed according to schedule. There was no immediate confirmation of where the drones had come from. Several airports across Europe have closed down in recent weeks because of unidentified drones.


French troops board oil tanker linked to Russian 'shadow fleet'

BBC News

French troops board oil tanker linked to Russian'shadow fleet' French soldiers have boarded an oil tanker believed to be part of Russia's shadow fleet, used to evade sanctions imposed because of the war in Ukraine. The Boracay left Russia last month and was off the coast of Denmark when unidentified drones forced the temporary closure of several airports last week. It has been anchored off western France for a few days. French President Emmanuel Macron said at an EU leaders' summit in Copenhagen on Wednesday that the crew had committed serious offences, but did not elaborate. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia had no knowledge of the vessel.


Why is Denmark being targeted with mystery drone flights?

The Japan Times

Why is Denmark being targeted with mystery drone flights? Police officers stand guard after all traffic has been closed at Copenhagen Airport due to drone reports on Sept. 22 | Ritzau Scanpix / via REUTERS Copenhagen - Denmark's support for Ukraine, its lack of anti-drone defenses and this week's EU summit in Copenhagen could all explain the unidentified drone sightings over Danish airspace that have been widely blamed on Russia. Drones have been seen across the Scandinavian country, including over military sites, since Sept. 22, prompting brief closures at several airports and a ban on all civilian drone flights until Friday. The drone intrusions were extremely well-executed and also clearly designed to humiliate the authorities, just to show that you can actually fly drones over Danish airports and critical infrastructure, said Rasmus Dahlberg, an expert on hybrid threats. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.


European leaders meet in high-security Danish summit after drone disruption

BBC News

Danish PM calls for strong answer from EU leaders to Russia's hybrid attacks EU leaders have met in Copenhagen under pressure to boost European defence after a series of Russian incursions into EU airspace, and days after drones targeted Danish airports. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told reporters that from a European perspective there is only one country... willing to threaten us and that is Russia, and therefore we need a very strong answer back. The incursions have become most acute for countries on the EU's eastern flank such as Poland and Estonia. A number of member states have already backed plans for a multi-layered drone wall to quickly detect, then track and destroy Russian drones. We meet at a time when Russia have intensified their attacks in Ukraine, where we have seen Russian airspace violations and unwanted drone activity in several European countries, Frederiksen told a news conference after the talks had concluded.


Drones seen over Danish military bases in latest air disruption

BBC News

Drones have been seen near military facilities including Denmark's largest, following a series of incidents that caused air disruption earlier this week. The devices were observed above Karup airbase, among others, forcing it to briefly close its airspace to commercial traffic. Possible sightings were also reported in Germany, Norway and Lithuania. It is the latest in a string of suspicious drone activity in Denmark, raising concerns about the nation's vulnerability to aerial attack and sparking fears of potential Russian involvement. Danish authorities said Thursday's incursions appeared to be a hybrid attack, but cautioned that they had no evidence to suggest Moscow was behind it.