AI image generators struggle to represent disability, sparking calls for change
Jessica Smith, a Paralympic swimmer and disability advocate, recently tested AI image tools using prompts to reflect her identity—specifically her missing left arm. The results? AI repeatedly gave her two arms, erasing a key part of who she is.
The issue started when Smith asked AI to generate images of herself. Despite explicit instructions, the AI couldn’t reflect her disability accurately. It defaulted to “typical” bodies, ignoring her lived experience. 
Smith shared screenshots of her ChatGPT conversation showing the AI’s inability to accommodate her request.
AI bias often shows up like this—disabilities and other diverse traits vanish because training data and design norms overlook them. Facial recognition tech previously misidentified darker-skinned people at high rates, proving the same pattern.
Smith stresses that her disability isn’t a flaw or something to fix—it’s part of her identity. She called for AI developers to include disabled people from the start, not as an afterthought.
Jessica Smith stated:
I want AI-generated images to reflect all of me—including my disability.
My disability is not something to hide or fix. It is a part of my identity, my strength, and my story.
Until technology understands this, there is still work to be done.
She warns that AI mirrors society’s biases, but it can also reshape them—if built with inclusivity in mind.
Smith imagines AI defaulting to showing people with visible disabilities—wheelchairs, prosthetics—without needing to be asked.
Disability isn’t a problem to solve, but a perspective to value. Embedding lived experience into AI development could change the narrative and foster true representation.
Jessica Smith added:
AI shouldn’t just reflect our society; it should help shape a more inclusive one.
The result is not just better technology but a more equitable society where innovation serves all.
The message is clear: AI creators need to fix representation gaps now, or risk continuing harmful erasure in the tech shaping our world.
Courtesy Jessica Smith
Courtesy Jessica Smith
Courtesy Jessica Smith
Courtesy Jessica Smith
