Pinterest is embracing body inclusivity in its search results
By Parija Kavilanz, CNN
New York (CNN) — Pinterest on Thursday said it has harnessed AI to develop technology that would deliver greater representation of diverse body types in its search results. Using shape, size and form to identify body types in images, the new body-type technology lets people search results that show bodies like their own, including plus sizes, via the algorithm.
Pinterest clarified that users can’t filter or search by body type, as it is a backend technology development. Instead, a wider variety of body types will show automatically, beginning with initial search results.
For example, if a user searches for date night outfit inspiration, they will see results inclusive of various body types and skin tone ranges in those results, the company said.
The new feature, which Pinterest created internally, builds on two previous efforts to introduce inclusive search features. In 2018, the company debuted a skin tone search function that enables users to refine and customize their beauty-related searches, based on a set of skin tone ranges, that make them more personally relevant.
Then in 2021, Pinterest rolled out its hair pattern search feature that refines search results by choosing from six different hair types – protective, straight, wavy, coily, curly and shaved/bald.
“With the powerful addition of our new body type technology to our suite of inclusive AI efforts, we have improved representation of different body types on our platform by five times across women’s fashion related searches in the US, Sabrina Ellis, Pinterest’s chief product officer, said in a statement.
Pinterest said its body-type technology, developed to scan more than five billion images on its platform, would first roll out first within its wedding and women’s fashion content, with an aim to expand it to other categories, such as men’s fashion, in the future.
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