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When It Comes to Gorillas, Google Photos Remains Blind (wired.com)

Posted by msmash on from the closer-look dept.

Tom Simonite, writing for Wired: In 2015, a black software developer embarrassed Google by tweeting that the company's Photos service had labeled photos of him with a black friend as "gorillas." Google declared itself "appalled and genuinely sorry." An engineer who became the public face of the clean-up operation said the label gorilla would no longer be applied to groups of images, and that Google was "working on longer-term fixes." More than two years later, one of those fixes is erasing gorillas, and some other primates, from the service's lexicon. The awkward workaround illustrates the difficulties Google and other tech companies face in advancing image-recognition technology, which the companies hope to use in self-driving cars, personal assistants, and other products. WIRED tested Google Photos using a collection of 40,000 images well-stocked with animals. It performed impressively at finding many creatures, including pandas and poodles. But the service reported "no results" for the search terms "gorilla," "chimp," "chimpanzee," and "monkey."

6 of 306 comments (clear)

  1. How does that work in practice? by TimothyHollins · · Score: 5, Funny

    More than two years later, one of those fixes is erasing gorillas, and some other primates, from the service's lexicon. The awkward workaround illustrates the difficulties Google and other tech companies face in advancing image-recognition technology, which the companies hope to use in self-driving cars, personal assistants, and other products.

    So what do their cars do now when they spot a gorilla crossing the road?

    1. Re:How does that work in practice? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      They pretend that the gorilla is a large rabbit. This usually keeps the car from hitting the gorilla.

  2. Re:In defense of Google by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    As the silverback looks back thinking "That's what you get for not nominating Bernie".

  3. Re:In defense of Google by NicknameUnavailable · · Score: 1, Funny

    I defy you to look a silverback in the eyes and not see a near-human intelligence looking back at you.

    As someone 5 standard deviations above average, I don't even see that when I look most other "Humans" in the eyes.

  4. Re:In defense of Google by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    As someone 5 standard deviations above average...

    IQ, or pants size?

  5. Re: People look like apes, black people more so by sheramil · · Score: 5, Funny

    Google, American. 'Porch monkey', American racial term. This story is all about American race relations.

    Haven't you heard? We're taking it back!