AI Models Pose Potential Body Image Risks for Young People, Experts Warn

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) models in social media and advertising is sparking concerns among experts and individuals about its potential negative effects on body image, particularly among young people. As AI-generated images and videos become more sophisticated and harder to distinguish from reality, fears are mounting that they could exacerbate existing pressures to meet unrealistic beauty standards.

Mia Perumal, who has recovered from an eating disorder, expressed worry that AI could make it even more difficult for young people to escape unattainable ideals. "It's all very well saying 'oh, it's AI, it's not real,' But eating disorders don't really listen to rationality," Perumal stated. She has observed an increase in hyper-thin AI-generated individuals on social media, often accompanied by comments from teenagers aspiring to achieve these fabricated physiques. She advocates for control over AI to prevent harm and urges young people to be "cautious, question everything."

Kelly Watts, a marketing freelancer, is seeing AI-generated imagery proliferate in business, often without clear labeling. She fears her 11-year-old son, Oscar, who enjoys rugby, may be influenced by unrealistic AI depictions of bodies, even though he does not yet use social media. "Especially with children, it's going to be 'can they ever get to that point? It's putting a lot of pressure on them, which they don't need,'" Watts said. She emphasized the importance of AI literacy and the need for clearer labeling of AI-generated content to help consumers identify fake versus real images.

Phillippa Diedrichs, a professor of psychology at the Centre for Appearance Research, UWE Bristol, explained that humans have a natural tendency to compare themselves to others. When these comparisons are made against a narrow set of beauty standards, often amplified by digitally constructed images that lack biological reality, it can lead to self-doubt and negative feelings about one's own appearance. Diedrichs noted that AI models, unless specifically prompted to promote diversity, often default to average features based on their training data, potentially reinforcing societal biases and excluding underrepresented groups. "If we're comparing ourselves to a very narrow beauty standard... this inevitably means that many of us are not going to meet those beauty ideals," she said.

Diedrichs added that while teenagers may be aware of these technologies, this awareness doesn't always prevent them from desiring to emulate the images they see. She advises consumers to critically assess whether the content they consume makes them feel good about themselves or inadequate. "If it's making you feel lacking, that's a really important signal to pay attention to," she recommended.

While AI could offer benefits, such as enabling brands to showcase diverse models or cater to multiple markets, Diedrichs also cautioned against the potential displacement of human artists and creatives. Zoe Lee and Hannah Marriott, researchers at Cardiff Business School, found that consumers often react negatively to AI-generated models once they realize they are not real, with participants preferring real individuals even if fewer are represented. Brands like H&M have explored using digital twins of real models, but also acknowledged the need to carefully consider the implications of such technologies. H&M stated that its exploration with digital twins was paused to evaluate next steps, and that the real models retained control over their digital counterparts. Balmain and Levi's have also experimented with AI models.