In a historic first for Women’s History Month, Create Labs Ventures has partnered with TONL, the Black-owned stock photography company co-founded by Nigerian-American social entrepreneur Karen Okonkwo, to launch the first AI image generator exclusively trained to create a Black-owned stock photo library.
The move marks a groundbreaking moment for artificial intelligence and the creative industry, addressing one of the most overlooked biases in AI development—visual representation. Most AI image generators are trained on datasets that skew heavily toward white subjects, leading to skewed, inaccurate, or outright offensive results when attempting to depict Black, Brown, and other marginalized communities.
By training a new AI model on TONL’s expansive collection of culturally authentic images, Create Labs is ensuring that Black faces, bodies, and cultures are not just included—but centered—in the development of AI-generated visuals. When Okonkwo founded TONL, it was to ensure that stock photography better represented the rich, varied stories of Black and Brown communities around the world. Now, that mission is being carried into AI—ensuring that AI-generated visuals reflect that same commitment to authenticity and accuracy.
Introducing the Create Labs x TONL Image Generator Under EMPWRD AI
TONL has partnered with Create Labs Ventures to launch the TONL Image Generator, an AI-powered image generation tool trained exclusively on TONL’s Black-owned stock photo library. This tool, part of the advanced AI platform EMPWRD AI, allows brands, creators, and organizations to generate culturally accurate and inclusive images tailored to their needs—ensuring that diverse communities are represented authentically in AI-generated visuals. The TONL Image Generator is a key feature within EMPWRD AI, which also includesAa social impact chatbot and a document analysis tool for equitable and bias-free AI research.
Take a first look at an image create by the generator HERE.
Users can sign up here to be the first to access the TONL Image Generator and enter for a chance to win a free month of our image generator package.
A Critical Moment for AI and Representation Amid DEI Rollbacks
The launch of the TONL x Create Labs AI Image Library and Generator comes at a time when DEI initiatives across industries are under attack. Most recently, The Pentagon has reportedly marked thousands of diversity-related images and online posts for deletion, including those celebrating women in the military and the Tuskegee Airmen. This raises serious concerns about whose stories, faces, and contributions will be preserved in our digital history—and whose will be erased.
“This isn’t just about creating more diverse images,” says Abran Maldonado, co-founder of Create Labs Ventures. “It’s about ensuring that communities of color have ownership over how they are represented in the technology shaping our future. AI has the power to cement our stories into history—or erase them. We’re here to make sure it’s the former.”
A Milestone for Women-Led Innovation in AI
This partnership is also a major milestone for women-led innovation in AI, as both Create Labs Ventures and TONL were co-founded by women of color leading the charge for equity in tech and media. Beyond visual representation, Create Labs is amplifying women’s voices in AI through its bias-reduced AI tools for small businesses in partnership with Mastercard, as well as Clai.ra, its AI-powered digital influencer, who will be highlighting women innovators and entrepreneurs throughout Women’s History Month.
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