AI-generated Art, Augmented Reality Filters, and the Impact on the Female Nude

Abstract

This paper will attempt to answer the question; how will AI-generated imagery affect the female nude? This question is of interest to me as I have had experiences with image-based sexual abuse and online grooming over ten years ago, and I wonder how the technological advances of AI affect women’s online safety even further. I also find it interesting to learn about the increased amount of cosmetic surgery that young women are going under the knife for, to look more like an augmented reality filter that they have seen via social media. I am curious to find out whether the impacts of AI-generated ‘models’ will incur a new type of cosmetic surgery trend in the near future. As the AI technology is still very new, many of the theories I have researched are somewhat hypothetical, however, patterns regarding the male gaze seem to argue that the female nude will continuously be ‘designed’ to appease Western beauty standards and therefore, reinforce harmful stereotypes about how a woman should look in reality.

Within this paper, analysis and mention of what is referred to as ‘the female nude’ typically refers to that of the Western beauty standards; a white, cis-gendered woman. This reflects the popularity of such paintings and images, from the early Renaissance to modern day.