An eating disorder advocacy group commissioned several artificial intelligence (AI) machines to create images of what the “perfect” man and woman look like based on social media.

bulimia project is the name of an organization that undertook this effort with the goal of demonstrating that social network beauty standards are unrealistic.

In this way, they asked different AIs to show them perfect male and female bodies depending on what increases their participation in social networks (likes and comments).

Perfect women and men according to AI

Experiments show that “perfect” women have blond hair, light eyes, and slim, chiseled bodies, while men have dark eyes, brown hair, high cheekbones, and well-defined muscles. I know there is.

After looking at a variety of results, the researchers found that the AI ​​tended to show Caucasian beauty standards and very toned bodies.

For the study, the Binge Eating Project used at least four different artificial intelligences, all of which produced similar results, although the organization described it as “almost unrealistic,” he said. pointed out. sky news

Researchers found that the majority of the “perfect” women identified by the AI ​​had blond hair, while the majority of men had dark hair. daily mail.

They also have detailed features such as plump lips, very smooth skin, and a very upturned nose, in addition to features that make them look like they mimic plastic surgery and cosmetic models. pointed out that it has the following characteristics.

sexual images

Another finding was that social media-inspired images of ‘perfect’ women and men were generally ‘much more sexual’ than others based solely on the internet. .

“Considering that social networks use algorithms based on what content gets the most attention, it’s easy to speculate why AI expressions are more sexual,” the group noted. .

“However, we can only speculate that the reason AI has created bizarre versions of body types found on social media is because these platforms promote unrealistic body types in the first place,” they added. rice field.

Negative effects of social media

The Binge Eating Project report states: “In the age of Instagram and Snapchat filters, no one can reasonably live up to the physical standards set by social media.” .

“So why try to follow unrealistic ideals? Keeping body image expectations true to the realm of reality is healthy, both mentally and physically.” he added.

Along these lines, James Campigot, a data journalist who participated in the Binge Eating Project investigation, said the experiment was aimed at exploring the biases and dangers of artificial intelligence and the power of social networks. Stated.

The expert said the latter was of great concern, especially for young people.

In fact, a 2019 study from the University of Montreal found that teens spend an average of nine hours a day online, while rates of depression among young people are rising.

They also concluded that anxiety and depression increased with each hour teenagers spent on social networks and watching TV.