AI-Edited Stanford Ad Violated Campus Policy, Official Says

Stanford University is facing backlash after its Residential & Dining Enterprises used a photograph of students that had been edited by artificial intelligence—including entirely changing one Hispanic, male student into a Black woman—in its advertising.

The photo first came to light in a report by The Stanford Review, the university’s right-leaning student newspaper. The original image shows a female student on the left and two male students to her left, with all three smiling at the camera and posing with their food outside Star Ginger, a food stall in one of Stanford’s dining halls; the AI-edited image removed the rightmost male student and generated a Black woman in his place. 

According to the Review and other news sources, the student who was edited out is Billy Ramirez, a junior studying human biology, according to his LinkedIn profile. Ramirez told the Review he was shocked when his friends sent him the edited image. The original photo was taken in 2024.

“At first, I found it hilarious that they had used AI to completely change our appearances, including my race and gender. But after looking at the comparison, I was also upset because I don’t agree with Stanford making those choices about how we were represented,” he said. “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.”

In an emailed statement, Stanford spokesperson Charlene Gage wrote that the incident violates Stanford’s AI policies and that the banners containing the altered image have been taken down.

“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. We are working to provide additional training for all staff and ensure proper review of all materials,” Gage wrote.

The AI also made other changes, like slightly altering the other two students’ faces, making the words “Stanford University” clearer on the female student’s sweatshirt and removing a pair of headphones hanging around the center male student’s neck. The AI-generated Black woman appears to be wearing a Stanford sweatshirt, whereas Ramirez was wearing a Gap sweatshirt.

Over the past several years, colleges and universities have frequently come under fire on forums like Reddit for using AI imagery on social media and in physical banners and posters.