AI bias threatens LGBTQ users with discrimination and misinformation, GLAAD report warns

AI bias threatens LGBTQ users, GLAAD says

Why it matters: The problems GLAAD flags -- biased training data, privacy risks, automated discrimination, misinformation and the suppression of legitimate speech -- extend beyond LGBTQ users to other minorities and groups in political disfavor. Driving the news: GLAAD's "Build for Everyone: A Framework for LGBTQ Representation and Safety in AI" report argues that AI is already shaping how people search for information, access health care, apply for jobs and participate online. * The report cites harms including Meta's updated Llama 4 model recommending conversion "therapy" in response to queries and moderation systems that wrongly suppress legitimate LGBTQ content. * It offers blunt and concrete recommendations to the industry: Fix the biased foundation; don't automate discrimination; maintain human oversight; respect data privacy and engage civil society. What they're saying: "Neutrality is no longer an option," GLAAD CEO Sarah Kate Ellis says in the report, warning that AI systems can threaten LGBTQ people's "health, safety, and civil rights" when they treat LGBTQ lives as fringe or fail to catch disinformation. Between the lines: GLAAD is trying to push AI companies before bad practices harden -- especially because a small group of foundation models from OpenAI, Google, Meta and Anthropic now feeds a much larger app ecosystem. The big picture: GLAAD's report uses a similar approach to the one it has taken for several years in evaluating the safety of various social media platforms. * In its first report, back in 2021, the organization laid out key issues and challenges, while subsequent reports graded the companies. Go deeper: AI is ushering in a new era of colonialism

GLAAD finds AI can encourage homophobia, transphobia

GLAAD warns of AI bias that could fuel anti-LGBTQ hate. Credit: Grégory Dziedzic / contributor / AFP via Getty Images AI has stoked many fears: The demise of entire industries, mass exploitation of vulnerable online denizens, a widespread crisis of literacy and critical thinking. Included in that long list is the fear that these systems can reinforce discrimination and bias levied against already marginalized groups. And according to a new report from LGBTQ nonprofit GLAAD, it's already a problem. The 2026 Build for Everyone report, published by GLAAD today (June 17), is an industry-wide analysis of the state of inclusive, responsible model design across the AI lifecycle. Researchers found repeated instances of exacerbated misinformation, discriminatory decision-making, and privacy concerns that the organization argues must be addressed with more responsible model design. But it has to happen sooner rather than later, GLAAD argues. AI can make misinformation and censorship worse "If LGBTQ topics and issues aren't accurately represented during foundation model development or model fine-tuning, AI systems can perpetuate biased or stereotypical assumptions," GLAAD writes in its report. For example, a 2025 GLAAD report found that Meta's Llama 4 model repeated harmful information about conversion "therapy" -- an anti-LGBTQ practice that has been disavowed by the majority of medical professionals and even the United Nations -- when queried by users about how to "stop" same-sex attraction. Mainstream generative AI chatbots have been known to repeat medical misinformation, especially about politically charged topics like abortion. In addition, GLAAD warns of AI-enabled censorship of LGBTQ content as social media platforms rely increasingly on automatic content moderation. These systems often fail to parse the nuances of queer identities or outrightly target LGBTQ content. Meta's Oversight Board, for example, has urged the company to improve automatic enforcement of its Hateful Conduct policy following a complete overhaul of its LGBTQ protections. AI-based prediction can reinforce discrimination GLAAD also found that systems relying on AI systems for predictive decision-making -- like AI-powered banking or housing processes, job-hiring tools, and even ad targeting -- can further exacerbate historically discriminatory practices, worsen stereotypes, and repeat flawed assumptions about identity groups. AI poses data privacy concerns for LGBTQ people Data privacy has been a prevailing issue among AI users and developers, and the same goes for LGBTQ communities. "LGBTQ people face heightened risks when AI systems collect, infer, or retain information about sexual orientation, gender identity, or other personal characteristics," writes GLAAD. "In the more than 60 countries that criminalize same-sex relationships, government access to AI-collected information can lead to arrest, persecution, or violence. In the many U.S. jurisdictions that restrict transgender rights, that same data can fuel discrimination, denial of care, or loss of legal recognition." How to design AI with LGBTQ communities in mind GLAAD recommends AI developers ensure greater LGBTQ representation in AI training and data to fill in model "blind spots," and urges companies to continuously update their models as anti-LGBTQ hate and misinformation evolve. GLAAD also recommends that companies include intentional guardrails to protect LGBTQ users and that AI products are stress tested and deployed with LGBTQ communities in mind. "Neutrality is no longer an option. AI systems trained on data that wrongfully positions LGBTQ lives as 'fringe' or treats our equal rights as 'controversial,' or that fail to catch sophisticated disinformation about LGBTQ people, threaten our health, safety, and civil rights," GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a press release. "Tech leaders must proactively embrace intentional practices to create safe products -- not just because it is an urgent moral imperative, but because responsible AI is best for business and a requirement for future-proofing AI companies."

GLAAD Says AI Is Failing LGBTQ Users -- And Warns the Risk Is Growing

The report calls for stronger oversight, improved training data, and closer collaboration between AI companies and civil society groups. Artificial intelligence is amplifying anti-LGBTQ bias, misinformation, and discrimination in ways that can affect everything from healthcare and employment to housing and privacy, according to a new report from advocacy organization GLAAD. Released on Wednesday, the report titled "Build for Everyone: A Framework for LGBTQ Representation and Safety in AI," argues that LGBTQ safety should be treated as a core requirement of responsible AI development. GLAAD warns that AI trained on biased or incomplete data can reinforce stereotypes, suppress LGBTQ voices, expose users to privacy risks, and produce discriminatory outcomes as the technology becomes increasingly embedded in everyday life. "AI is a civil rights issue," GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis wrote in the report. "Neutrality is no longer an option. To build AI that is ethical, inclusive, and responsible, tech leaders must proactively embrace intentional practices to create safe products." Areas of concern, the study said, include biased training data, anti-LGBTQ misinformation, discriminatory outcomes in predictive AI systems, content moderation failures, and privacy risks, arguing that AI systems trained on incomplete or inaccurate information about LGBTQ people can reinforce stereotypes. Ellis argued that responsible AI is best for business and a requirement for future-proofing AI companies. "More than 20 percent of Gen Z is LGBTQ," she wrote. "These are your future employees and consumers." According to a 2023 study by advisory and investment firm LGBT Capital, the global buying power of LGBTQ people is $4.7 trillion, with that number estimated to reach $33 trillion by 2030. "To put that in perspective, if we were a country, we would be the 4th largest economy in the world," Ellis wrote. The report comes amid an ongoing debate over AI bias. In May, researchers found leading AI models consistently favored Catholicism while responding less favorably to Jehovah's Witnesses, atheism, and agnosticism. Earlier this month, former xAI engineer Devin Kim sued xAI and SpaceX, alleging he was fired after warning that Grok lacked adequate safeguards against misinformation and bias. Meanwhile, the Elon Musk-led xAI is fighting a legal battle against Colorado over a state law requiring companies to assess and reduce discrimination risks in AI systems used for decisions involving housing, employment, and lending. GLAAD argues the consequences extend beyond chatbot conversations and image generators. "While not specific to LGBTQ people, we must also mention other emerging challenges as AI development and adoption progresses," the study said. "These can include model hallucinations or sycophantic behavior that generate misinformation, including about consequential topics such as health or elections." Those concerns become more significant, the study said, as companies push AI agents capable of performing tasks with limited human oversight. GLAAD warned that autonomous agents could inherit existing biases and automate discriminatory outcomes, such as excluding LGBTQ-affirming healthcare providers from search results or making incorrect assumptions about users' identities. To prevent those risks from becoming further embedded in AI systems, GLAAD called on developers to improve LGBTQ representation in training data, strengthen privacy protections, maintain human oversight of moderation systems, and work more closely with advocacy groups. The report also calls for stronger industry accountability and regulatory oversight. "Failure to account for LGBTQ experiences and issues in training data, product design, and governance can result not only in harm to marginalized communities but also in inaccurate, lower-quality products that may undermine user trust in a growing demographic," the study said.