How can YouTube ensure its Generative AI tools reflect diverse cultural contexts?
63 qualitative interactions
6countries: Indonesia, Brazil, India, Japan, Nigeria, USA
YouTube Responsible AI
"I have deep appreciation for every member of the intO team and the hard work and dedication they demonstrated while executing three amazing immersions for us. I couldn’t have achieved this without them, and I’m truly grateful that I chose Studio intO to join me on this journey with YouTube. They are amazing!"
Brittany Body (User Experience Researcher)
Methods
- Cultural immersions
- In-home interviews
The Opportunity
The YouTube Culture Lab and Google’s Responsible AI team are at the forefront of embedding diversity and cultural sensitivity into Generative AI. As AI-generated human images become central to digital expression, the challenge is clear: how can YouTube ensure its outputs reflect the diversity of global users, without reinforcing bias?
intO was appointed to conduct a rigorous cross-market study in six countries – Brazil, India, Indonesia, Japan, Nigeria and the USA – to identify how regional expectations for AI-generated imagery are shaped by local culture, values and lived experience
Our Approach
This project unfolded across an 18-week programme that combined trend research, expert interviews and deep, in-context cultural immersions.
intO deployed more than 20 Local Researchers to conduct 63 qualitative sessions, including in-home interviews and creator roundtables, across six markets. Participants ranged from Gen Z to Gen X users, all familiar with AI tools and their applications.
A three-day immersion model guided stakeholders through street-level observation, in-home interviews, and workshops with local experts. These first-hand experiences provided a powerful lens into how fairness, trust, and authenticity are understood across cultures.
intO’s award-winning Equitable AI Framework underpinned the project, ensuring inclusive methodologies and a structured approach to ethical insight generation.
Business Impact
The research delivered a foundational understanding of how cultural norms influence perceptions of AI-generated imagery.
intO produced 16 detailed reports, uncovering key barriers to adoption – including bias, realism, and trust – and delivered actionable recommendations to guide inclusive product design.
By uncovering how fairness and representation vary globally, this work has helped YouTube develop more contextually accurate, inclusive and globally relevant AI features. It continues to inform ethical policies, product iteration, and creative direction.