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The Guardian — Technology · October 2, 2026 · On the brief until October 16, 2026

AI chatbots remove hijabs from images of Muslim women when prompted

Religious StudiesSociologyCommunications
THE AI ANGLE
Digitally removing religious head coverings from images upon user request

AI chatbots from OpenAI and xAI altered images to remove hijabs when requested, while Google's Gemini removed the head covering after being told to make the subject look more western. The models refused requests to remove dresses because they treat religious headwear as ordinary hair changes rather than violations of modesty or privacy. For researchers tracking digital culture and faith, this shows how image generators fail to recognize the religious meaning of dress codes.

Summary written by AI Business Lens with an AI model from the article at theguardian.com. It is not the article, and the publisher has not reviewed it. For publishers.

THE TEACHING ANGLE
Content moderation rules treat nudity as a violation while classifying religious garments like hijabs, habits, and turbans as simple hairstyles or accessories.

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