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Google Apologises For Photos App's Racist Blunder

Posted by samzenpus on from the our-bad dept.

Mark Wilson writes: Google has issued an apology after the automatic tagging feature of its Photos apps labeled a black couple as "gorillas". This is not the first time an algorithm has been found to have caused racial upset. Earlier in the year Flickr came under fire after its system tagged images of concentration camps as sports venues and black people as apes. The company was criticized on social networks after a New York software developer questioned the efficacy of Google's algorithm. Accused of racism, Google said that it was "appalled" by what had happened, branding it as "100% not OK".

5 of 352 comments (clear)

  1. In over news by oobayly · · Score: 5, Funny

    Google's algorithm also identified photos of some sunburnt Essex chavettes on the beach as Yorkshire pigs. A Google spokesperson said "no apology if necessary - it's an accurate assessment".

  2. AI has come a long way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yonatan Zunger, Google’s chief architect of social: "Machine learning is hard" Now tell us more about them self-driving cars.

  3. In related news... by wbr1 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Google announce that it will change the tagging of Caucasians from 'cracker' to 'saltine'.

    --
    Silence is a state of mime.
  4. Re: It's an algorithm by sexconker · · Score: 3, Funny

    Testing, let alone QA testing or MORE testing, is NOT the Google way.

  5. Mod parent down by SpaceXXX · · Score: 5, Funny

    This person is using "blacklisted" word. Mod it down.