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This TikTok star sharing Australian animal stories doesn’t exist – it’s AI Blakface
(theconversation.com)
Applying the term blackface to content generation is an interesting development that provokes some intriguing questions.
- Aside from the lack of artistry, what is the difference between a person doing this and creating a character in animation or text that shares the same culture/race? Is there a line to be drawn there?
- Clearly the odds are incredibly high that the person behind this isn't Aboriginal themselves, but considering the small chance that they are, would that still be problematic?
- Historically, blackface requires caricature and stereotyping. Would this be considered acceptable with those carefully excluded (outside of the essential harm of content generation)?
- And a more general question - Is there a better term that's not more-or-less exclusive to black oppression in the US? Something that is applicable to any race or culture?
I suppose I should take a stab at them myself:
- I think, if there is a line to draw, it probably sits at the level of impersonation. If someone is using content generation to gain a sense of legitimacy or belonging they otherwise lack, that would be unacceptable.
- Personally, I don't believe being part of a race/culture prevents a person from being racist about it, so it's not a surefire exoneration either way. It is also a difficult/impossible thing to prove one way or the other with content generation. I suppose it's fair to assume the worst unless proven otherwise.
- This overlaps with the first question, imo. If there's no aspect of stereotyping or caricature, it's basically just a puppet/character and is unproblematic (racially) as long as it's not being used as a mask to fake legitimacy.