Generative AI : a problematic illustration of the intersections of race, gender and class

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Hosseini, Donnesh Dustin (2026) Generative AI : a problematic illustration of the intersections of race, gender and class. Geographical Journal, 192 (2). e70085. ISSN 1475-4959 (https://doi.org/10.1111/geoj.70085)

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Abstract

This commentary investigates how generative AI tools such as DALL-E can create imagery which (re)produce racist, gendered and classist representations of peoples. Drawing on prompts entered across three time periods into DALL-E, I employ algorithmic coloniality as a conceptual framework, together with critical visual analysis, critical race semiotics and intersectionality to examine the images created. This analysis shows that, despite advances in photorealism, DALL-E persistently reproduces the same racialised and gendered tropes in its depictions of Black American women. I argue that these images are not merely aesthetic by-products, but socio-technical artefacts shaped by historically racist training data. Moreover, I suggest that enhanced photorealism may amplify, rather than mitigate, such stereotypes. Building on these findings, I argue that geography educators need to cultivate forms of critical AI literacy that extend beyond refining prompts to interrogate the algorithmic coloniality embedded within these systems. I conclude by proposing practical and collective strategies to support geography educators engaging with these tools.

ORCID iDs

Hosseini, Donnesh Dustin ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5846-9993;
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