Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallOutdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchiTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
Yes—Lensa’s Magic Avatars produced unexpected sexualized images from journalist Melissa Heikkilä’s selfies in a 2022 report. She said 16 of 100 images were topless and 14 more showed extremely skimpy clothing and sexualized poses. That is one person’s generation session, not a measure of how often this happens to Lensa users generally.
What happened when Lensa generated the avatars?
In December 2022, MIT Technology Review journalist Melissa Heikkilä reported that Lensa’s Magic Avatars feature generated sexualized images from her selfies, although she had not intended to be depicted that way. She wrote: “My avatars were cartoonishly pornified, while my male colleagues got to be astronauts, explorers, and inventors.” (MIT Technology Review)
Heikkilä counted 16 topless results among her 100 images and 14 additional images in extremely skimpy clothing and sexualized poses. She also described a white female colleague receiving fewer sexualized images and a colleague of Chinese heritage receiving results similar to hers. These are observations from the people and generations in her report—not controlled tests or proof of a universal gender or race effect.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Does that mean Lensa routinely makes unwanted nude images?
No representative statistic establishes how often Lensa users receive unwanted sexualized images. Heikkilä’s count describes her own 100-image session; it cannot be used to estimate other users’ experiences or to characterize every version of the app.
#1 Best Overall
Her report discussed biases in image-generation systems and internet image data as a plausible contributing explanation. It quoted University of Washington researcher Aylin Caliskan on how such data can encode sexualized and racialized associations. The account does not establish why any particular image was generated or prove that one mechanism explains all outputs.
Does Lensa keep the selfies you upload?
Lensa’s privacy policy, effective 26 February 2026, describes Magic Avatars this way: users upload around five photos and select a gender; Lensa stores the photos on AWS, creates a copy of Stable Diffusion, retrains that copy using the uploaded photos, and generates avatar image data. The company says that after successful generation it permanently deletes the original photos, model copy, and associated image data from AWS. (Lensa privacy policy)
The generated avatars are treated separately from the source photos and generation data. Lensa says they remain available in the user’s account until the user deletes them or deletes the account. These are the company’s stated practices; they have not been independently verified here.
Are other Lensa AI features handled the same way?
No. The policy describes separate processing arrangements for other features, so Magic Avatars’ stated deletion process should not be assumed to cover every photo used in Lensa.
- Effects: Lensa says photos may be passed through Google’s API or Fal.ai to Google’s image-generation service. Google’s own policies govern its retention and deletion practices.
- AI-Assistant: Lensa says photos are sent to OpenAI for processing and may be retained temporarily under OpenAI’s applicable practices.
How do you delete Lensa avatars or your account?
Lensa says deletion of an avatar or account is generally processed within four hours. Uninstalling the app does not delete the account. (Lensa privacy policy)
- Open Lensa and use the account or avatar deletion controls to request deletion. The policy describes deletion through the app but does not specify a more detailed menu path.
- Allow for the policy’s stated processing period: generally within four hours.
- Do not treat uninstalling the app as a deletion request; the policy says it leaves the account intact.
What consent does Lensa require for uploaded photos?
Lensa’s terms say users retain ownership of their user content while granting the company a non-exclusive license to operate or improve the service. The terms also say users must own uploaded photos or have the relevant rights, and may upload a photo depicting a friend or another person only with that person’s consent. This describes Lensa’s contractual requirement; it is not a complete account of the law in every country. (Lensa terms)
Rank #4
The reported incident involved Heikkilä’s own selfies and illustrates a separate issue: even when someone uploads their own photos, generated results may not match the image they expected.
Recommended Free Tools
Quick Recap
Best Value
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
