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Visual Stereotypes of Autism Spectrum in Janus-Pro-7B, DALL-E, Stable Diffusion, SDXL, FLUX, and Midjourney

Created by
  • Haebom

Author

Maciej Wodzi nski, Marcin Rz\k{a}deczka, Anastazja Szu{\l}a, Kacper Dudzic, Marcin Moskalewicz

Outline

This study evaluated whether six text-to-image models (Janus-Pro-7B VL2/VL3, DALL-E 3, Stable Diffusion, SDXL, and Midjourney) consistently generated negative autism-related stereotypes. Images generated in 2024–2025 were compared with control images, using 53 prompts that neutrally visualized autism-related concrete objects and abstract concepts. Expert evaluations utilized 10 deduction codes to measure the presence of autism-related stereotypes, and statistical analysis was performed. Results showed that autism images tended to be depicted as white, male, and younger, and displayed stereotypical emotional expressions such as isolated activities, interaction with objects, and sadness, anger, and neutral expression. In contrast, non-autism images were more diverse and lacked these traits. While there were significant differences between models, the level of stereotype reproduction was generally similar, with the control prompts demonstrating significantly lower levels of stereotypes.

Takeaways, Limitations

Despite advances in image generation technology, the reproduction of harmful stereotypes related to autism has not improved significantly.
Images of autism tended to be stereotypically depicted with specific demographic characteristics (white, male, young age).
Although there were differences between models, the stereotype reproduction rates were similar.
The control prompt had a significantly lower level of stereotype reproduction.
The study was limited to a specific model, and further research on more models and prompts is needed.
Frameworks for assessing stereotypes may be limited, and broader assessment methodologies are needed.
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