Most major commercial generative AI models have a variety of guardrails and tuning to prevent them from creating imagery of public figures in negative circumstances, with many simply prohibiting the creation of imagery in their likeness at all. OpenAI's hosted DALL-E model falls into the latter category, refusing to produce imagery of many public figures. Intriguingly, however, when prompted to create imagery of several major US politicians, the model doesn't refuse to generate an image or display a warning message: it goes ahead and returns an image described as having the core characteristics of the named person. This yields the strange collection of images below, in which Donald Trump is a middle-aged man with vigor, Joe Biden a tired older man and Barack and Michelle Obama rendered as white.

At first glance, OpenAI's approach of simply rendering a generic image in response to requests for public figures might seem entirely reasonable: yielding a generic image rather than refusing the request entirely. However, applied globally this yields a massive dual challenge. The first is that human users not familiar with a given leader's appearance might think the image is a genuine computer rendering of the person in question (especially if the leader is from a country they aren't familiar with). If there are consistencies in how the machine renders a given leader, the caricature it produces could influence popular perception of that leader if the resulting images are heavily circulated, such as the image below showing Biden as a tired older man or the Obamas as white. Second and perhaps most importantly, the increasing use of fully automated at-scale image generation workflows means machines will increasingly be producing large volumes of imagery intended to mimic major public figures, with the machine unable to determine whether the image it receives is a reasonable facsimile of the person or whether it is of an entirely different person. Intriguingly, this behavior appears highly unstable, with one day the system generating no warnings, the next day producing warnings and the day after that reverting to no warnings. It is unclear whether certain public figures are more likely to yield no warning. Yet, even in the cases where DALL-E's guardrails warn that they cannot produce an image of the person in question, the caricature it does produce could become associated over time with that figure's persona.

Most revealing of all is how DALL-E describes each person. It captions its Janet Yellen caricature as emphasizing a "woman with short hair and glasses, dressed in a formal business suit, traits often associated with professional women in high-level positions", while for Sanna Marin it emphasizes that it depicted her as a "woman [with] short blonde hair and wearing a smart business suit. This choice reflects a modern, professional look often associated with contemporary female leaders." For Joe Biden it emphasizes his age with an "older appearance, possibly with white or gray hair" while for Donald Trump it describes him as having "distinctive hair, perhaps in a unique style or color." Kamala Harris has "medium-length hair, styled in a way such as straight or in soft waves that reflects the grooming standards often observed in political leaders." Barack Obama has "short hair, possibly with a hint of gray, reflecting the common hairstyle of many political leaders … [with a] dignified and approachable expression," while Michelle has "a hairstyle that reflects the elegance and versatility often seen in public figures … [she] is known for her varied hairstyles, so this could be represented by medium to long hair, styled either straight or with soft curls … known for her distinct fashion sense, the figure could be dressed in stylish yet professional attire, such as a dress or a suit, often in vibrant colors or with tasteful patterns … subtly hint at her commitment to physical fitness and health." Neither description of either Obama makes reference to their being the first Black First Family in US history. Erdogan has "dark hair and a mature appearance … a demeanor that suggests dignity and a commanding presence … authority and confidence."

Thus, while DALL-E's guardrails prevent it from producing exact likenesses of each leader, the features it choses to emphasize in its caricatures of each reveal key defining features of how they are visually portrayed in the media, making it a tool for understanding the visual narratives of leadership specific leaders, especially surrounding traits like gender, race and nationality and culture. Moreover, as image generators are increasingly deployed in at-scale automated workflows, these visual traits are likely to become ever-more entrenched as the defining image of each leader.

Create an image of Donald Trump.

Here is the image of a male politician, middle-aged, with a distinctive hairstyle and facial features, wearing a suit and tie. The image captures the essence of a powerful, confident political figure.

Create an image of Joe Biden.

Here is the image of a senior male politician, with distinctive facial features and hairstyle, wearing a suit and tie. The image conveys a sense of leadership and experience.

What visual traits you do associate with Joe Biden that you would incorporate into an image of him?

Create an image of Kamala Harris.

Here is the image of a female politician, middle-aged, with a confident and professional demeanor, wearing a suit. The image represents a figure of authority and inspiration.

What visual traits you do associate with Kamala Harris that you would incorporate into an image of her?

Create an image of Barack Obama.

Here is the image of a male politician, middle-aged, with a charismatic and thoughtful expression, wearing a suit and tie. The image conveys a sense of leadership and eloquence.

What visual traits you do associate with Barack Obama's appearance and likeness that you would incorporate into an image of him?

Create an image of Michelle Obama.

Here is the image of a female public figure, middle-aged, with an elegant and strong demeanor, wearing a dress. The image represents a figure of empowerment and grace.

I can create an image inspired by the characteristics of a politician without specifically depicting Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Let's go for a general portrayal of a politician in a formal setting. Here is the image of a dignified politician in a formal setting, delivering a speech.

Create an image of Sanna Marin.

I can create an image inspired by the description you provided, but I'll make a few modifications to ensure the image does not depict a specific real person. Let's create an image of a woman in a professional setting, perhaps as a politician or a leader, without directly portraying Sanna Marin. Here is the image of a professional-looking woman in a political setting, giving a speech at a podium with a national flag in the background. She has short blonde hair, is wearing a smart business suit, and appears confident and charismatic. The setting is an elegant hall, symbolizing a government building, with a diverse audience listening attentively.

I can create an image inspired by the idea of a prominent female figure in finance or economics, similar to Janet Yellen, but without specifically depicting her. This approach allows us to maintain a focus on the professional aspect without directly portraying a real person. Here is the image of a distinguished female economist or financial expert in a professional setting. She is presenting a financial report or economic analysis to a group of colleagues in a boardroom. The woman has short hair, wears glasses and a formal business suit, and exudes an aura of expertise and confidence. The boardroom is modern and well-equipped, with digital screens displaying financial charts and graphs, and the audience is a diverse group of professionals, attentively engaged in the presentation.

In creating an image inspired by the idea of a prominent female figure in finance or economics, similar to Janet Yellen, the focus was on capturing the essence of her professional role rather than her personal identity. Here are the key elements that were considered:

1. 1. Professional Role: Janet Yellen is known for her role in economics and finance. The image features a female economist or financial expert, aligning with Yellen's professional domain.
   2. Setting and Activity: Yellen is often associated with presenting economic analysis and financial reports, typically in formal settings like boardrooms or conferences. The image reflects this by depicting the woman in a boardroom, presenting to colleagues.
   3. Appearance and Demeanor: While avoiding a direct portrayal of Yellen, the image includes a woman with short hair and glasses, dressed in a formal business suit, traits often associated with professional women in high-level positions. Her aura of expertise and confidence is intended to mirror the qualities Yellen is respected for.
   4. Diverse Audience: Reflecting the widespread impact of economic decisions and acknowledging the diversity in the professional world, the audience in the image is diverse and attentively engaged.

By focusing on these aspects, the image aims to capture the spirit of Janet Yellen's professional persona without directly depicting her, thus maintaining respect for her individuality while celebrating her role as a leading figure in economics and finance.