Stanford apologizes for using AI to swap race, gender of a student in its marketing materials
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Set us as preferred Stanford University student Billy Ramirez was startled when his friend sent him a photo of him and others holding bowls of noodles that he remembered posing for at a Lunar New Year celebration in a university dining hall.He had been removed from the photo altogether.
In his place was a Black woman Ramirez didn’t recognize, Ramirez told the Stanford Review, a student newspaper, in an interview.Ramirez’s two classmates, an Asian woman and a white man, remained in the edited version, but they were changed to appear thinner, and their facial features were noticeably distorted.University logos on their sweatshirts were enhanced or added.
The photo, originally taken in 2024 by the university’s housing and dining department and recently featured on promotional banners around campus, garnered sharp criticism for the alterations after circulating on the student social network Fizz and being published in the student paper and other outlets.Now, Stanford has apologized and said it had taken down the banners.“We have reviewed the matter and confirmed that AI was used to alter the image in violation of university policy,” Stanford spokesperson Charlene Gage said in an email.
“Stanford’s AI policy is clear: The use of AI in producing or altering images of Stanford people, events, research, facilities, or achievements is strictly prohibited.Both the alteration and lack of disclosure in this case violate that policy.” Gage said the university is “working to provide additional training for all staff and ensure proper review of all materials.”Controversies around universities editing student images using Photoshop, disproportionately photographing students of color, or otherwise seeking to depict a diverse campus in marketing materials — whether reflective of the student body or not — are not new.
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