Stanford AI photo controversy: White male student replaced by Black woman in ad, ‘silenced and erased’

Stanford Residential & Dining Enterprises has come under intense backlash for allegedly using AI to race- and gender-swap students. The students had been photographed for its advertisements and Stanford even allegedly altered their appearances by slimming down their faces, reports The New York Post.

The student newspaper The Stanford Review obtained photos from before and after the changes. The original photo showed students holding plates of food in the cafeteria. One student in the original photo said he was surprised to see that he had been replaced by a Black woman in the edited version.

“I was driving to school from my hometown when my friend sent me the images comparing the banner to the original photos, and I was immediately baffled,” Billy Ramirez, a junior, told the outlet.


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“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.”

Two other students pictured with Ramirez also had their images changed using AI. Their faces were visibly made slimmer in the final photo. SR&DE oversees housing and dining hall operations for the Bay Area university’s more than 18,000 students.

FAQs

What happened to the Stanford dining hall photo?

The photo was reportedly altered using AI before appearing in its final version.

Whose images were changed?

Several students featured in the original photo reportedly had their appearances changed.

What happened to one of the students?

One student said he was surprised to see that he had been replaced by a Black woman in the edited photo.

Were other students affected?

Yes. Two other students reportedly had their faces visibly slimmed in the final image.

Which Stanford organization oversees dining halls?

SR&DE oversees housing and resident dining hall operations at Stanford University.