AI, Beauty Standards, and Body Image with Sangeeta Pillai

Mid-Atlantic - conversations about US, UK and world politics

In this episode of Mid Atlantic, host Roifield Brown sits down with Sangeeta Pillai, feminist changemaker and host of Masala Podcast, to tackle a troubling facet of artificial intelligence: its impact on body image. The conversation centers around AI-generated beauty standards and their capacity to amplify already damaging ideals perpetuated by social media and advertising.

Sangeeta's recent article sparked the discussion, highlighting how AI beauty pageants reflect narrow, harmful notions of beauty—thin, white, and hypersexualized. They examine the role of AI in reinforcing societal biases, particularly its lack of diversity and the troubling implications for young people growing up surrounded by such unrealistic portrayals. With studies showing that children as young as six worry about their weight, the conversation paints a stark picture of the psychological toll these developments could take. They also delve into AI’s role in dating, the commercialisation of "perfect" bodies, and the urgent need for regulation in a fast-moving, ethically murky space.

Roifield and Sangeeta leave listeners pondering whether humanity can reclaim authenticity in an era increasingly defined by artificial perfection. While the conversation highlights the downsides, it also underscores the importance of sparking debate now—before AI's effects on self-image spiral out of control.

Notable Quotes:

1. "Imagine if you take the worst ideas of beauty and let AI amplify them—that’s where we’re heading." – Sangeeta Pillai
2. "A six-year-old child looking in the mirror thinking, 'I need to be thinner'? That’s insane." – Sangeeta Pillai
3. "What AI does is strip out what makes us human: our imperfections, the very things that make us beautiful." – Sangeeta Pillai
4. "When we don't ask ethical questions about AI now, it’s like letting the train leave the station—soon, it’ll be too late." – Roifield Brown
5. "We’re not just addicted to technology; we’re replacing human connection with it—and it’s making us lonelier than ever." – Sangeeta Pillai

Further Reading:

• Sangeeta Pillai’s article on AI beauty pageants and body image issues: Soul Sutras
• Studies on AI and body image: The Bulimia Project
• EU's AI Act and its approach to regulating emerging technologies: European Commission AI Act

For a deep dive into these issues and more, subscribe to Masala Podcast or follow Sangeeta Pillai on Instagram.

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