Comparing Demographic Representation in AI-Generated and Stock Images of Occupations

This paper analyzes how AI-generated images from DALL·E 3 and stock images from Getty Images compare in their representation of race, gender, and age across various occupations. The researcher randomly selected ten occupations from the O*NET Database, generating 30 images from DALL·E 3 and selecting 30 images from Getty Images for each occupation. Following this, the researcher categorized each image based on its race, gender, and age. The results showed significant difference in the portrayal of race and gender between the image sources, with DALL·E 3 depicting more white male individuals than Getty Images. However, the researcher found little difference in the representation of age between DALL·E 3 and Getty Images. This study highlights the extent to which AI models like DALL·E 3 might reflect or amplify societal biases present in their training data–and what steps are needed to mitigate this issue.