Stanford University apologized after promotional banners on campus replaced a Latino student with an AI-generated Black woman and digitally altered the appearance of two other students. The university confirmed the edits violated its strict artificial intelligence policies, prompting officials to pull the promotional material and promise staff training.
Stanford University used artificial intelligence to alter promotional imagery displayed across campus this fall. The original photograph, captured in 2024 by university housing and dining staff, depicted three students celebrating the Lunar New Year with plates of noodles.
When the image appeared on campus banners, the composition had been fundamentally changed. Billy Ramirez, a Latino student, was completely removed and replaced by an AI-generated African-American woman. The two remaining students stayed in the frame, but their facial features were distorted, and their bodies were digitally slimmed down. The university also added or emphasized Stanford logos on all three students' shirts.
Student Reaction and the Discovery on Campus
Ramirez learned about the alterations while traveling, specifically noting to The Stanford Review that he was driving to campus from his hometown when his friend sent the comparison images to his phone. A friend spotted the promotional banner, compared it to the 2024 photograph, and messaged the side-by-side images to Ramirez.
Billy Ramirez told The Stanford Review that he was driving to school from his hometown when his friend sent him the images comparing the banner to the original photos, and he was immediately baffled. He added that at first, he found it hilarious that they had used AI to completely change their appearances, including his race and gender, but after looking at the comparison, he was also upset because he does not agree with Stanford making those choices about how they were represented, telling The Stanford Review that seeing his identity changed and being left out of the picture made him feel, in a way, silenced and erased from a representation that was supposed to include him.
What started as a confusing moment quickly turned into frustration for the student. Though he initially found it hilarious that his appearance was completely changed, reflection brought a deeper sense of alienation.
Billy Ramirez said that seeing his identity altered and being left out of the picture made him feel, in a certain way, silenced and erased from a representation that was supposed to include him, according to EdSource.
University Policy Violations and Removal of Banners
The student-run publication The Stanford Review first exposed the alterations by publishing side-by-side comparisons of the original photo against the doctored version, sparking immediate backlash from the student body. Public attention grew as financial and prediction platforms like Polymarket highlighted the controversy online.
Faced with mounting criticism, Stanford acknowledged the modifications and the lack of information. University spokesperson Charlene Gage issued a statement confirming that generative technology was deployed improperly in official collateral, while ABC reported an institutional statement noting that the university reviewed the matter, confirmed AI was used to modify the image in infringement of university policy, and removed the posters displaying the picture in question.
Charlene Gage stated that Stanford’s AI policy is clear, explaining that the use of AI in producing or altering images of Stanford people, events, research, facilities, or achievements is strictly prohibited, and she told EdSource that both the alteration and lack of disclosure in this case violate that policy.
Following the internal review, university officials pulled all offending banners from campus grounds. Gage noted that the institution is actively developing additional training protocols for staff and instituting stricter review procedures for marketing materials moving forward.
Читайте также
