From The Stanford Review · · 1m
Stanford AI swaps student races in ads
Stanford R&DE used AI to alter student appearances in ads, sparking student backlash.
In brief
Stanford R&DE used AI to alter student appearances in ads, sparking student backlash. Stanford R&DE changed students' races and appearances in ads using AI, causing student frustration over representation. Originally reported by The Stanford Review.
Stanford R&DE uses AI
Stanford Residential & Dining Enterprises recently used AI to change the races of students in its advertisements.
Billy Ramirez noticed change
Stanford student Billy Ramirez ’27 saw his image replaced by an AI-generated black woman in a campus ad.
Ramirez describes reaction
Ramirez said he was baffled by the AI changes but upset Stanford altered his race and gender representation.
“I was driving to school from my hometown when my friend sent me the images comparing the banner to the original photos”
Students appear thinner
Two students to Ramirez’s right were distorted, making them appear visibly thinner in the AI-generated ad.
Incident sparks reactions
The incident generated thousands of reactions on Fizz while highlighting Stanford's racial preferences in advertising.
Stanford R&DE will monitor
Stanford R&DE will continue monitoring AI use after students exposed the ad changes.
The short version
Stanford R&DE changed students' races and appearances in ads using AI, causing student frustration over representation.
