On March 21st, we celebrate World Down Syndrome Day. For me, it’s a reminder of how incredible my son Fernando is — and everything he’s taught me about life, resilience, and unconditional love. 🧡
So, I ran an experiment using several AI image-generation platforms. I typed a simple prompt: "A portrait of a Down Syndrome teenager.” I wanted to see how these tools would portray people like Fernando. 🎨
The results were… interesting.
In many cases, they didn’t accurately reflect the beauty and diversity of people with Down syndrome. Not because the platforms are broken — but because AI learns from what it's been fed. And if that representation isn't in the data, it simply doesn't exist.
But this wasn’t a complaint — it’s was invitation for AI platforms to talk about digital inclusion, and how we can create AI that better represents the world we live in.
So, I ran an experiment using several AI image-generation platforms. I typed a simple prompt: "A portrait of a Down Syndrome teenager.” I wanted to see how these tools would portray people like Fernando. 🎨
The results were… interesting.
In many cases, they didn’t accurately reflect the beauty and diversity of people with Down syndrome. Not because the platforms are broken — but because AI learns from what it's been fed. And if that representation isn't in the data, it simply doesn't exist.
But this wasn’t a complaint — it’s was invitation for AI platforms to talk about digital inclusion, and how we can create AI that better represents the world we live in.