This Is What AI Thinks People Look Like Based on Their Job

July 3, 2023

Here's What AI Thinks Average Professionals Look Like

According to AI, most professionals look like models or actors. Or, at least, that’s what it seems like in the new series of Midjourney-generated images by BuzzFeed writer Angelica Martinez. She asked the AI image generator what an average person looks like based on a variety of careers, from astronauts and doctors to influencers and baristas.

Unsurprisingly, AI has a very polished vision of what an average professional looks like. Everyone appears to be their best selves, fit and trim without a hair out of place. At first glance, AI appears to have gotten things right. The firefighters have their gear on, the dentists are flashing their beautiful smiles, and the news anchors give smoldering glances at the camera.

But, when you really dive in, it seems like the technology made some odd choices that spark questions about what source material humans used to train it. For instance, the astronauts are quite intense. And in particular, the female astronaut looks like something has spooked her. The actors appear dressed for a period piece set in the 1930s, while the authors look like fairly generic hipsters except for the glasses that give a vague air of literary greatness. The morticians are also quite interesting, seeming like a pair from the late 19th century rather than someone who provides funeral services today.

The overall feel is quite youthful. Only in some of the science-based professions, as well as teaching, do we find older employees. In fact, the female teacher is the only woman in the selection who looks as though she’s over 50. Apparently, in AI’s eyes, once you reach middle age, there’s little space left in your career.

Of course, we all know by now that AI plays on stereotypes. These types of series only serve to reinforce that and to remind us to take the AI visuals we see with a grain of salt. Keep scrolling down for all 36 images and see how well you think the technology managed to capture the spirit of each job.