Generative AI is increasingly changing how bodies and beauty are portrayed. AI-generated images show seemingly perfect bodies that have little to do with reality. Such representations shape societal ideals of beauty and can have a lasting impact on young people’s body image.
The UnRealBody project developed a video-based educational format that sensitises teenagers and young adults to the risks of AI-generated body images. The video was created with Unreal Engine and uses both animated avatars and generated imagery to show how artificial intelligence manipulates body representations and shapes perceptions.
A pilot study with students from the University of Zurich and international participants provided valuable insights. Many respondents already had a solid basic knowledge of generative AI and its potential implications. Based on this feedback, the video was revised to add scientific references and increase the realism of the visual design.
Sources cited in the video:
- Milton, A., Hambleton, A., Roberts, A., Davenport, T., Flego, A., Burns, J. & Hickie, I. (2021). Body Image Distress and Its Associations From an International Sample of Men and Women Across the Adult Life Span: Web-Based Survey Study. JMIR Formative Research, 5(11), e25329. https://doi.org/10.2196/25329
- Groesz, L. M., Levine, M. P. & Murnen, S. K. (2002). The effect of experimental presentation of thin media images on body satisfaction: A meta-analytic review. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 31(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.10005
- Fioravanti, G., Bocci Benucci, S., Ceragioli, G. et al (2022). How the Exposure to Beauty Ideals on Social Networking Sites Influences Body Image: A Systematic Review of Experimental Studies. Adolescent Res Rev 7, 419–458. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40894-022-00179-4
- McComb, S. E. & Mills, J. S. (2020). A systematic review on the effects of media disclaimers on young women’s body image and mood. Body Image, 32, 34–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2019.10.010
- Dhadly, P. K., Kinnear, A. & Bodell, L. P. (2023). #BoPo: Does viewing body-positive TikTok content improve body satisfaction and mood? Eating Behaviors, 50, Article 101761. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2023.101747
The research team is currently working on the paper. We will provide the relevant information once it has been published.