Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty have more in common than their origins as classic fairy tale figures and, now, part of Disney’s famous roster of characters. Their fairy tales are also full of gender bias and stereotypes, according to literature scholars––and now AI.
A team of researchers from Northeastern University, University of California Los Angeles and IBM Research have created an artificial intelligence framework that can analyze children’s storybooks and detect cases of gender bias.
The way fairy tales depict and teach lessons, morals and sociocultural roles to children, particularly young girls, has been discussed in academia and beyond for decades. These stories are full of princesses who need saving and handsome princes who are there to save them.
