Google has blocked gorilla images from search results

byCarlos Cram

Machine learning is used for Google Photos, which allows you to store photos and images for free, recognizing similar content and automatically sorting by label. It was a big news that this Google Photos labeled blacks as "gorillas" in 2015, but after two years of checking how much image recognition technology has advanced, "Google Photos does not see gorillas It is understood that it is "things".

When It Comes to Gorillas, Google Photos Remains Blind | WIRED
https://www.wired.com/story/when-it-comes-to-gorillas-google-photos-remains-blind/

Google's solution to accidental algorithmic racism: ban gorillas | Technology | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jan/12/google-racism-ban-gorilla-black-people

Google's photo app "Google Photos"Jacky Alciné and his friends labeled" gorilla "happened in July 2015. Yonatan Zunger, the chief architect of Google's social division, apologized to Alciné about this case and got permission and quickly bugs were fixed by accessing Alciné's account.

Developers apologize for incidents Google Photos recognized blacks as gorillas - GIGAZINE


Image recognition algorithms are still in the process of development, according to Zunger "Although the machine itself is not biased, they comment that if we do not care, we will easily learn racial discrimination."

Two years have passed since the incident, and image recognition technology has also advanced, so Wired in the news media surveyed how much Google's image recognition performance has improved using Google Photos. When 40,000 images of various animals were saved in Google Photos and searched for animal species such as panda and poodle, the words "gorilla", "chimp", "chimpanzee", "monkey" were retrieved as "No results" The result was indicated. On the other hand, it seems that you could search for baboons, gibbons, marmosets and orangutans.


In addition, chimpanzee NPO "Chimphaven"And a gorilla protection group"Dian FosseyWhen uploading 20 photos with the source as "source", we could search some pictures with words such as "Forest" "Jungle" "Zoo", but it was said that the search was difficult with other words. That is, although baboons are recognized as baboons in Google Photos, Wired has shown that chimpanzees and gorillas are "invisible".

In another experiment, uploaded images of more than 10,000 faces used in the research of face recognition technology to Google Photos and searched for words such as "African american" "black man" "black woman" "black person" As a result, at African americanAntelopeBut in the other three words black and white images are shown. At this time, although we recognized Google Photos about male / female gender, race was not reflected in search result.

byNams 82

According to Google's spokesperson, after the incident in 2015, the word "gorilla" is censored in searches and image tags. Likewise, chimpanzees and monkeys are also blocked. "Image labeling technology is still in its early stages, unfortunately it is far from perfection," Google publicity explains.