In brief
In response to a BBC investigation that uncovered the misuse of AI-generated images of black women to attract views and solicit links to adult content, TikTok has banned 20 accounts. These accounts employed caricatures and sexualized depictions, raising concerns about racism and exploitation. The findings highlight a troubling trend in social media as AI technology is leveraged to manipulate real content and present misleading representations, particularly in the portrayal of black women.
TikTok has banned 20 accounts after the BBC highlighted the use of AI-generated black female influencers to drive users to sites promoting sexually explicit content. They are part of a growing trend of accounts on Instagram and TikTok that has been criticised as racist, exploitative and misleading because of racial tropes and language used.The BBC and researchers from the independent AI publication Riddance found dozens of accounts on the two platforms featuring highly sexualised black female digital characters or avatars. The images and videos were generated by AI but not labelled as such, in apparent breach of the platforms' guidelines. Nearly all the accounts were on Instagram and about a third also had versions on TikTok. Instagram's parent company Meta told the BBC it was investigating, but did not say it had taken any action.The avatars are often shown dressed in skimpy swimwear or other revealing clothing and portrayed with exaggerated body shapes. Some have exceptionally dark skin tones that have been digitally manipulated, giving them an artificial appearance. Account names include terms such as black, noir, dark and ebony. The BBC, working in collaboration with analysts Jeremy Carrasco and Angel Nulani from Riddance, has identified 60 accounts, mainly on Instagram, that link to paid-for sexually explicit content on third-party sites.One notable case involved a popular account masquerading as an AI-generated character that stole videos from real person Riya Ulan, a model from Malaysia, leading to outrage and feelings of anger and betrayal.Riya commented, I was angry... It doesn't mean that you can just take it and steal it and post it as your own. With growing visibility and popularity of these AI-generated accounts, concerns have escalated regarding their misleading nature and the impact they have on actual content creators, particularly black women. While TikTok responded to the BBC and subsequently banned the accounts, issues around content manipulation and representation remain a pressing challenge for social media platforms.
