Photo-editing app Gradient is under fire for a new feature that lets people alter their ethnicity in images, with many slamming it for promoting digital “blackface.” The feature, called AI Face, supposedly allows users to “find out how you would look if you were born on a different continent,” according to Gradient’s website. The feature was promoted last Wednesday by TV personalities Scott Disick and Brody Jenner posting altered images on Twitter showing how they would look in “Europe,” “Asia,” “India” and “Africa.” Disick also posted a similar image on his Instagram account, but disabled the comments. Several users expressed outrage in response to the tweets, slamming them as “racist” and denouncing their promotion of “blackface.” Some users also pointed out that India is part of Asia. Both Disick and Jenner subsequently deleted their posts. Other features on the app allow users to test which celebrity they look like, what animal they look like, and turn themselves into portraits. The app also touts a feature called “Ethnicity Estimate,” which purports to use artificial intelligence to analyze someone’s photo and calculate their ancestry. The company’s celebrity lookalike feature went viral last year.(SD-Agencies) |