Ying-ChiehLee-KingstonSchool-of-Art-WhosCreating-the-Kawaii-Girl_-1280x905-1

A young female character, representing a doll, in a school uniform who is illustrated in the Japanese artistic and cultural 'Kawaii' style. The bright doll with green eyes is in the palm of an anonymous and sinister figure and surrounded by darkness and shadow in contrast to her colourful uniform. There is a faint web-like pattern on the figures and the background.

This image depicts a young female character in a school uniform who is illustrated in the Japanese artistic and cultural ‘Kawaii’ style. The Kawaii aesthetic symbolises childlike innocence, cuteness, and the quality of being lovable. The female character, who represents a Kawaii doll, is in the palm of an anonymous and sinister figure which is symbolic of the dark side of the Internet. The faint web-like pattern on the figures and the background symbolises the unseen influence that AI has on how media is created and distributed that often reinforces stereotypes or facilitates exploitation. The image aims to illustrate how AI tools, like image generators and chatbots, are often created by male-dominant groups who use AI to sexualise women and girls. Yutong was inspired to create this image after she found a Facebook group where offensive AI-generated images of women were being shared, mainly by men.