In recent years, with the widespread use of generative artificial intelligence image technology by young people, numerous examples have emerged of these images being employed to convey emotions and gender identity through visual symbols. Using both semiotics and affective computing, this study will conduct content analysis, experimental research and in-depth interviews to explore the symbolic encoding features of gender representation in AI-generated images and adolescents’ emotional responses, as well as their underlying connections. Based on the above results, both traditional gender stereotypes in terms of clothing, posture and environment are still visible; at the same time, technology is also creating various forms of gender expression. Adolescents’ Emotional Responses to Stereotypic and Pluralistic Representations: Cognitive Conformity vs. Curiosity/Identification. Collect physiological and psychological data on young people using affective computing technology to provide objective support for studying the impact of gender symbols on them. Combine semiotic analysis and affective computing to build a new research system for exploring how gender cognition develops in AI environments; at the same time, provide theoretical support and practical suggestions for regulating the creation of AI images and promoting the healthy emotional growth of adolescents.
