Today, Pinterest is enhancing its commitment to broaden inclusivity within its product by unveiling a new feature. This feature empowers users to refine searches based on specific body types, aiming to cater to a more diverse range of individuals. Building on Pinterest’s newly disclosed body type technology, the function will initially operate with women’s fashion and wedding inspiration.
This new front-end feature on Pinterest is powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and utilizes innovative computer vision technology that analyzes shape, size, and form to recognize different body types across the platform’s more than 5 billion photographs. Citing research on the negative effects of body size discrimination, Pinterest has previously said that the technology would be used to reshape its algorithms and make search more inclusive. As Pinterest mentioned at the time, the Campaign for Size Freedom estimates that 34 million Americans experienced this kind of prejudice in 2019.
[Source of Image: Techcrunch.com]
Moreover, Megan D’Alessio, a former Pinterest manager for inclusion and diversity, said that while body dissatisfaction affects many young people, it affects women far more severely because “50% of adolescent girls are unhappy with their bodies compared to 31% of boys,” she added.
Following the release of documents by former Meta employee turned whistleblower Frances Haugen, who disclosed internal data suggesting Instagram had exacerbated body image issues for some teen girls, this issue has been at the center of discussions regarding the possible risks associated with social media use. A new case brought by the attorneys general of several U.S. states centers on Meta’s knowledge of this issue and other harmful mental health issues, as well as her failure to take action.
Pinterest created technology to enhance the portrayal of various body types on its platform ahead of prospective restrictions regarding teen usage of social media and its impact on issues related to body image. Pinterest reports that since incorporating the new body type technology into its array of “inclusive AI” efforts—which also include skin tone ranges and hair pattern search filters—the platform’s representation of various body types has increased by five times for women’s fashion-related searches in the United States.
Users of Pinterest may now begin to test the body type range’s front-facing search function, which lets them search for wedding or women’s fashion ideas and then filter results based on body types. According to the corporation, adding this function will not only make search results more varied but also boost platform engagement. For instance, Pinterest reports that since launching its skin tone range filter in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, the number of users who saved Pins from all skin tone ranges in their feeds increased by 70% annually.
Sabrina Ellis, the Chief Product Officer at Pinterest, expressed, “Our dedication lies in crafting a more positive online space. Through these advancements, we aim to foster a personalized and inclusive journey on Pinterest.” She added, “While we’re in the initial testing phases, we eagerly anticipate sharing further insights and specifics shortly.”
[Source of Information: Techcrunch.com]
