A CAMPAIGN has been launched to address the “outdated and offensive” Irish stereotypes found in AI-generated imagery.
Led by EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, the initiative seeks to counter the “wildly inaccurate” representations of Irishness which are conjured up by AI image generators – which create an image based on a text description or prompt.
These generators pull data from across the internet to produce what it deems the most accurate representation of a user’s prompts.
Research undertaken by the museum showed that when such image generators are asked to produce an image of an ‘Irish man’ the results are hugely stereotypical – referencing drinking, aggression and leprechauns.
“EPIC uncovered that when you prompt a popular AI image generator to show you an ‘Irish man’, the results were without exception, outdated and extremely far removed from a modern-day understanding of ‘Irishness’,” an EPIC spokesperson confirmed.
“In countless tests, every generated image contained references to drinking, anger, aggression, or leprechaun-like styling.
“It’s these negative clichés that EPIC wants to call to account,” they added.
An AI-generated image of an 'Irish man'This week the Dublin-based organisation launched its Paddy ‘A.I.rishman’ campaign, which is designed to challenge “negative and misleading Irish stereotypes found in generative AI”.
Aileesh Carew, CEO of EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, explained: "While being Irish cannot possibly be summed up in a single image, we were surprised to find that AI generated images of the Irish are full of outdated stereotypes.
“At EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, we know that being Irish is a celebration that extends across the globe. We hope that this campaign will inspire people to look beyond stereotypes wherever they encounter them and create meaningful conversations about the pitfalls and potentials of AI.”
Nathan Mannion, Head of Exhibitions and Programmes at EPIC, added: “Whilst it’s disappointing to see these negative stereotypes perpetuated within AI, at EPIC we know that the lived experiences of our emigrants and diaspora are far more complex and nuanced than these reductive and clichéd images – we are inventors, poets, designers, leaders and changemakers.
“Our music, literature, culture, sport, food and dance encapsulate our rich and varied heritage and connect millions of people across the globe and across generations with each other and with Ireland.”
EPIC’s latest campaign follows their This is Not Us initiative from summer 2022.
That followed their findings that "predictive search data showed up the many incorrect and misleading perceptions of the Irish which still prevail globally".
