Stanford Used AI to Alter Race, Gender of Students in Ad

Stanford University on Tuesday admitted it used AI to alter a photo of three students for promotional materials, including replacing a male student with a black woman and making another student appear thinner.

The Details: The Stanford Review (not rated), a student publication on campus, first reported that Stanford Residential & Dining Enterprises (Stanford R&DE) had altered the photo, which was used in advertisements around the school. The original photo, taken in 2024, depicted two male students and a female student together in a cafeteria holding food trays. After the edits, all students were altered in some way; the female's face appeared thinner, one male student's hair and shirt had been changed and the other male had been replaced with a black female. Stanford said the changes violated its policies on the use of AI-generated images.

Stanford's Priorities: The Stanford Review wrote that while "this incident is humorous and generated thousands of reactions…, it offers unsurprising insight into Stanford's and its bureaucracy's persisting ideological and racial preferences." The outlet was critical of Stanford's use of AI, writing that Stanford R&DE "likely believed they were subtle enough for no one to notice." It said it will continue to monitor the university's future use of generative AI.

'Silenced and Erased': Outlets on the right and Straight Arrow News (Center) quoted Billy Ramirez, who was replaced in the photo, who said he was upset about Stanford's choice for representation. They cited him saying, "Seeing my identity changed and being left out of the picture made me feel, in a way, silenced and erased from a representation that was supposed to include me." Headlines for both the New York Post (Right) and The Post Millennial (Right) were more sensationalized with The Post writing, "Stanford busted using AI to race swap white male student for black female" and Post Millennial saying, "SHOCKING: Stanford erases white student in promo photo". They also described Ramirez as white compared to left outlets which said he was Hispanic. Despite this, their coverage was generally straight forward and objective.

Diversity in Academia: The New York Times (Lean Left) said the finding comes as higher-ed weighs "how and whether to embrace diversity efforts on their campuses" due to "pressure from the Trump administration." It noted Stanford was also being investigated by the Justice and Education departments over their admissions programs and potential racial discrimination. The Times included a brief quote from Ramirez, who it specified was Hispanic, saying he was upset about being "erased," but focused more on other instances of universities changing students' races in promotions over the years.

Stanford's AI Legacy: San Francisco Chronicle (Lean Left) framed the story within Stanford's AI evolution over the years starting from it creating one of the world's first AI labs in 1965. It quoted Ramirez calling the changes "not surpris[ing] given the culture of Stanford revolves heavily around AI usage." The Chronicle also noted instances of other universities using AI to create promotional materials.

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