Is AI Manipulating Our Perception Of Beauty?

Over the last few years, filters have taken over every social media platform imaginable. In some ways, this started as quite an innocent project. Remember the dog ears you used to add to your selfies just for fun? Or those filters that used to tell you which Disney Princess you resemble the most? Still weird, but in some ways harmless.

Then came the AI-powered beauty filters. Unlike AR filters, AI-powered filters don’t rely on gimmicky overlays to achieve the desired look. These alter the appearance of your face in real-time and cleverly adapt to movement and hand gestures. The aim is to make the filter look as realistic as possible and their popularity has exploded.

At first, these were also glitchy and obvious. But, that has started to change. As a result, there's been an alarming shift in how AI-powered beauty filters are affecting broader beauty trends and perceptions. We're now left wondering: Is AI influencing our perception of beauty, and should this be a cause for concern?

Alarming examples of AI-beauty

Probably the most noteworthy example of AI-powered beauty apps influencing the way we feel and see beauty happened to influencer Joanna Kenny. Taking to her socials earlier this year, Joanna was horrified to see the effects that a popular TikTok filter had on one of her videos. At the time, she even admitted that the filter made her “feel ugly” when she turned the filter off.

Reflecting on the impact that the filter had, Joanna explained that it was extremely damaging to people’s perceptions of real beauty. Speaking in an Instagram video, she said: “This filter has now been used 12 million times. When I revealed that this filter made me feel ugly, so many of you said that this face was just as beautiful. Other people said the effects of this filter could be achieved with makeup. Take it from me, it can’t.

“Not only do I not have the skills to do that. Why should I? That filter changed the shape of my nose, my cheekbones, the shape of my face and that’s exactly what I’m working against.

“The idea that we need to recreate filters like this, beauty expectations like this in real life. Some people didn’t get what I meant when I said this filter is realistic, this filter does not glitch. And when you’re prone to comparison, the idea that this could be real is damaging. And as a former beauty therapist, this is the kind of expectation that people have from their skincare, their makeup, and when they can’t achieve that they look to cosmetic surgery.”

What’s more concerning is not just Joanna’s experience, but the other 12 million users that have been exposed to this app. While Joanna is an empowering figure that uses her platform to normalize beauty and skin without standards, others may not be as attuned to body positivity and more subjective to damaging AI filters and their wider impacts on mental health.

The science behind AI’s impact on our brain

According to Dazed Digital, who recently spoke to an Early Education Specialist, there’s a chance that using AI beauty filters too much could alter your brain. The theory goes that excessive use leads to the development of a predictive model, where your brain believes that you look like the filter in question. Seeing your normal face afterward can lead to body dysmorphia and depression. Yikes.

Another study conducted in 2022 also found that using filters impacted people’s perception of themselves and triggered feelings of anxiety. One person is quoted in the study as saying: “Seeing myself in that altered, and augmented way kind of gives me anxiety. It’s just weird because I never use these filters and now I see it as like: ‘I actually could even look better’ kind of. I don’t know if this is necessarily better. But just the possibility of it kind of triggers a weird feeling, a kind of anxiety maybe.”

I’ll be honest, I think it’s still too early to determine the real long-lasting impacts that these AI-powered filters are having on their users. However, initial studies all point in a similar direction — that this isn’t doing us any good.

The future of beauty AI

So what comes next in the ongoing challenge to normalise beauty standards and eradicate false ideals that are impacting our well-being? Well, it’s complicated.

Honestly, there needs to be a more responsible approach when it comes to the development and application of AI technology. This is even more important when we’re dealing with industries that can dramatically impact self-esteem and mental health. But who is responsible for making that happen?

I think we need to start with more public awareness. Educating followers about the limitations of AI filters, and helping people understand the stark contrast between real and AI-manipulated beauty, is crucial. The thing is, it isn’t just influencers that are responsible for making this happen.

The technology industry itself has a role to play. This challenge is in the hands of social media giants that are making such apps so accessible. Companies developing these AI-powered filters should acknowledge their potential harm and take measures to ensure ethical use. One potential solution could be to implement filter disclosure, like a feature where the AI filter is clearly labeled so that people can tell the altered images from unfiltered ones.

Finally, regulation is another thing that needs to be explored. Just like there are rules for misleading advertising, there’s room for legislation that outlines the usage and effects of AI and AR technology within the beauty world. Whatever happens, something has got to change. This starts with every one of us demanding better from businesses and governing bodies that are responsible for protecting us from the potentially damaging impacts of AI filters.