In an effort to highlight the significant contributions of underrepresented individuals and groups in history, we embarked on a 365 Days of Diversity campaign on Instagram. The goal was ambitious: to spotlight 365 people from marginalized communities who have shaped history. To streamline the process, I turned to AI, hoping it could generate quality images without the need to scour the internet for public domain photos. Over two days, I experimented with various prompt strategies and multiple AI image generation tools. This blog post details the different approaches I used, the outcomes they produced, and offers recommendations for anyone looking to conduct similar educational campaigns with AI assistance.
Crafting the Prompts
To generate the images, I began by crafting specific prompts that included the person's name and a brief description of their significance. For example, I used prompts like:
"Draw me a monochromatic picture of Wilma Mankiller, the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, in the style of a caricature."
"Draw me a monochromatic picture of Dorothy Vaughan, one of the first African American women to work as a NASA mathematician and supervisor, in the style of a caricature."
These prompts were designed to capture the essence of each individual while allowing the AI to apply a creative interpretation. The idea was to create bespoke images that were both educational and visually engaging.
What fresh hell is this?
However, it quickly became apparent that the task was not as straightforward as I had hoped. The first issue arose from the nature of caricature design itself, which often amplifies features in a way that can be problematic. I had assumed that, given the recent history of many of these figures, the AI would have ample data to create accurate representations. I was wrong.
The AI tended to fall back on stereotypical depictions—every Native American image
Even more puzzling was that a reverse image search yielded no public photos of these individuals with such features. This led me to question what sources the AI was drawing from and how it transformed a professional photograph into something more akin to a Disney caricature. When I removed the descriptors (e.g. Cherokee Chief, or African American) from the prompt the AI would either draw a picture a totally random person, or refuse to process the prompt all together. After this disappointing first day, I abandoned the caricature approach.
On the second day, I tried a different method: uploading actual photos of the individuals and asking the AI to convert them into line drawings. The initial results were promising, but as I progressed, the images began degrade. The individuals started to appear more and more like white people, losing the unique characteristics of the reference photo. Eventually the photos all became line drawings of northern-European-elf-like-white people with no resemblance at all to the reference photo. Despite using multiple AI tools that claimed to excel at this task, the results were consistently inaccurate. By the end of the second day, I had to abandon this method as well.
Ultimately, for our 365 days of diversity campaign, I ended up going out and doing basic Internet searches for photos in the public domain for approximately 400 people. Then enhanced those photos through a standard process to give them a uniform look and feel. For additional information please see our 365 days of diversity campaign page.
Practical Suggestions
The challenges I faced underscore the current limitations and potential pitfalls of using AI for such a sensitive and important project. The AI's tendency to rely on stereotypes and its inability to faithfully reproduce the unique features of diverse individuals highlights the need for caution and critical oversight.
For those considering similar educational campaigns, here are some practical suggestions:
Avoid Caricature Styles: Given the risk of reinforcing harmful stereotypes, it’s best to steer clear of caricature prompts when dealing with underrepresented groups.
Use Verified Images: Start with high-quality, verified images of the individuals you wish to portray. This reduces the likelihood of the AI introducing inaccuracies.
Human Oversight is Essential: Always review the AI-generated content critically. Be prepared to intervene and make adjustments to ensure the final product is respectful and accurate.
Test Multiple Tools: No single AI tool is perfect. Experiment with different applications to find one that meets your needs, but be prepared to abandon those that don’t.
You May Have to Go "Old-School": You can do all these things, and the images generated may still be problematic or wholly inaccurate. Be prepared to take the old-school approach of hand-selecting each photo from the internet, and created a consistent brand "look and feel" for every photo in your campaign.
Wrapping up
The journey of using AI to create images for our 365 Days of Diversity campaign was a learning experience. While the technology has the potential to save time and resources, it also comes with significant challenges, particularly when dealing with subjects that require sensitivity and accuracy. The key takeaway is that AI can be a helpful tool, but it is far from a one-size-fits-all solution. For projects like this, human judgment and intervention are indispensable. Learn more about our 365 Days of Diversity campaign.
Support Medusaas
We invite you to follow our 365 Days of Diversity campaign on Instagram, where we will continue to highlight the contributions of remarkable individuals from underrepresented communities. Join us in celebrating diversity and amplifying the voices that deserve to be heard.
Comments