AI is perpetuating unrealistic body ideals, objectification and a lack of diversity — especially for athletes

By Delaney Thibodeau, Post-doctoral researcher, Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education, University of Toronto
Catherine Sabiston, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity and Mental Health, University of Toronto
Sasha Gollish, Research Associate in Gender Equity and Sport Science, University of Toronto

What does it look like to have an “athletic body?” What does artificial intelligence think it looks like to have one?

A recent study we conducted at the University of Toronto analyzed appearance-related traits of AI-generated images of male and female athletes and non-athletes. We found that we’re being fed exaggerated — and likely impossible — body standards.

Even before AI, athletes have been pressured to look a certain way: thin, muscular…

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