The Guardian

Why, exactly, would anyone want to use AI to decide whether I’m gay or straight? | Matthew Todd

Stanford research raises the nightmarish prospect of authoritarian governments scanning faces to determine people’s sexuality. We need to be on guard
‘There are 72 countries where same-sex sexual activity is illegal, eight where it is punishable by death.’ Photograph: Alamy

Researchers at Stanford University claimed to have found that computer of people from photographs of their faces. Their programme was able to detect, with surprising accuracy, from more than 300,000 dating website images, who was gay and who straight. The computers were more successful at getting the sexuality of men right – 81% of the time from one picture, 91% after analysing five pictures. With women it was still impressive; 71% correct from analysing one

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Guardian

The Guardian8 min read
PinkPantheress: ‘I Don’t Think I’m Very Brandable. I Dress Weird. I’m Shy’
PinkPantheress no longer cares what people think of her. When she released her lo-fi breakout tracks Break it Off and Pain on TikTok in early 2021, aged just 19, she did so anonymously, partly out of fear of being judged. Now, almost three years late
The Guardian4 min read
The Golden Bachelor’s Older Singletons Have Saved A Franchise
Strange as it may sound, one of the hottest shows on TV this fall has been … an old dating series now catering, for once, to senior citizens. That would be The Golden Bachelor, a new spin-off of America’s pre-eminent dating series in which a 72-year-
The Guardian6 min readRobotics
Robot Dogs Have Unnerved And Angered The Public. So Why Is This Artist Teaching Them To Paint?
The artist is completely focused, a black oil crayon in her hand as she repeatedly draws a small circle on a vibrant teal canvas. She is unbothered by the three people closely observing her every movement, and doesn’t seem to register my entrance int

Related Books & Audiobooks