Some Facebook users who recently watched a Daily Mailvideo depicting Black men reported seeing a label from Facebook asking if they were interested in watching more videos about "primates."
The Friend Wifelabel appeared in bold text under the video, stating "Keep seeing videos about Primates?" next to "Yes" and "Dismiss" buttons that users could click to answer the prompt. It's part of an AI-powered Facebook process that attempts to gather information on users' personal interests in order to deliver relevant content into their News Feed.
The video in question showed several instances of white men calling the police on Black men and the resulting events, and had nothing to do with primates. Facebook issued an apology, telling the New York Timesthat it was an "unacceptable error" and that it was looking into ways to prevent this happening in the future.
The label came to Facebook's attention when Darci Groves, a former Facebook content design manager, posted it to a product feedback forum for current and former Facebook employees and shared it on Twitter. Groves said that a friend came across the label and screenshotted and shared it with her.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
The offensive label feels particularly unacceptable considering the extremely expansive database of user-uploaded photos that Facebook has access to, and could presumably use to ensure proper facial recognition by its tools. While AI can always make mistakes, it is the company's responsibility to properly train its algorithms, and this misstep cannot be blamed on a lack of resources.
In addition to mishandling past racial justice issues within the company, Facebook's lack of transparent plan to address its AI problem continues to sow distrust. While the apology was needed, the company's lack of apparent actionable steps beyond disabling the feature and a vague promise to "prevent this from happening again" doesn't cut it.
SEE ALSO: Facebook buried an earlier report on popular posts. So much for transparency.The approach is especially lackluster following Facebook's recent move to cut off researchers' access to tools and accounts used to explore user data and ad activity on the platform, citing possible violation of a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC has directly disputed that defense.
Combining a vague response with decreased access to facts makes it rather hard to simply trust that Facebook will handle this inappropriate AI gaffe with any kind of immediacy or results. If Facebook is committed to creating and using AI tools in an inclusive manner, it needs to specify exactly how it plans to fix this issue, and it needs to do so soon.
Topics Facebook
Today's Hurdle hints and answers for May 9, 2025
A 'Black Mirror: Bandersnatch' game is available to play online now
New Horizons unveils images of two worlds smashed together
Elon Musk's Twitter in 2018: Lawsuits, dank memes, and 'funding secured'
'The Last of Us' Season 2, episode 5: The spores are here!
Hipsters queue for hours to order a drink from shot
Malware attack affects publishing of major U.S. newspapers
New Horizons unveils images of two worlds smashed together
Best vacuum mop combo deal: Save $140 on the Tineco Floor One S5
Sound the alarm: Kanye West is finally on Instagram
Best soundbar deal: Save $300 on the Sonos Arc
Apple loses $57 billion in market value as its stock plunges
This 'Infinity War' tune was the throwback jam of 2018
Britney Spears dances like no one on Instagram is watching
The 10 Most Anticipated PC Games of 2016
ATT's first 5G speed tests look uninspiring
Cuddling your cute, fuzzy kitten could spell certain doom
In 2018, movies finally saw the Nice Guy for the toxic trope he is
What cracked the Milky Way's giant cosmic bone? Scientists think they know.
Ultima Thule is getting clearer, and it looks like a big bowling pin
After the Love Has Gone: Reflections on the Regular SeasonAttention Shoppers—Or Customers, Patrons, Whoever You Are…Writers Are Always Spies and Voyeurs, TooJoin Us for Our Spring Revel on April 5—Honoring Lydia DavisBring on the Batemans, and Other News by Dan PiepenbringWaiting in the Sky: 8 Paintings by Barbara TakenagaWatch: Ben Lerner Remembers Writing His First Poetry CollectionAfter the Love Has Gone: Reflections on the Regular SeasonStaff Picks: Meryl Meisler, Les Blank, and States of UndressWriters Are Always Spies and Voyeurs, TooListen to James Baldwin Read from “Another Country”Malthusian Flotsam and Unspeakable Jetsam, and Other News by Dan PiepenbringHow Merle Haggard Found a New Kind of Confessional VerseThis Is Your Last Chance to Be Hugged By a Cartoon CharacterWhiting Awards 2016: Brian Blanchfield, NonfictionRereading Beverly Cleary’s “Fifteen” on Her Hundredth BirthdayOdd Behavior: A Comics Adaptation of Lydia Davis’s StoryKatori Hall on Hoodoo Love by Dan PiepenbringWriters Are Always Spies and Voyeurs, TooWhy Charlie Chaplin Wanted to Play Hamlet Young Thug didn't show up to a music video shoot but that didn't stop the director Very brave men wrangle a giant snake out of a car engine Teen is raising money to send girls to see 'Hidden Figures' India's Reliance Jio snags 72.4 million 4G LTE subscribers in just 4 months Twitter will now loop all videos under 6.5 seconds after Vine closes Facebook spent even more on Oculus than everyone realizes This cat hanging with his boys took the best selfie of all time This country downloaded and used the most Android apps in 2016 Margot Robbie totally transforms into Tonya Harding for biopic Mysterious discovery under the water in China will awaken your inner Indiana Jones Internet Archive wants to get rid of link rot Intel wants to use sensors and robots to overhaul in Crowdfunding effort might just bring back the billboard racists helped remove The New York Times releases its 2020 report, points to its digital shortcomings 'Even stray dogs have a right to live': India's Supreme Court rules Gwyneth Paltrow wants you to put a rock in your vagina. Seriously. Chelsea Handler blames Trump's presidency on the Kardashians Yes, Betty White is still alive. And it's her 95th birthday. Trump is using Facebook ads to unload Inauguration tickets App Store prices in the UK to rise 25% due to Brexit pound slump
1.7121s , 10131.5546875 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Friend Wife】,Exquisite Information Network