Billy Ramirez AI image incident — Oct 2024

Stanford University has officially acknowledged that artificial intelligence was utilized to modify a promotional photograph featuring three students. The university confirmed that the digital alterations, which involved swapping a student and adjusting the appearance of another, violated established institutional policies regarding the use of AI-generated media.

What happened

The controversy began after The Stanford Review reported that Stanford Residential & Dining Enterprises had used generative AI to alter a group photo. Billy Ramirez, a member of the class of 2027, discovered that he had been replaced in the promotional material by an AI-generated Black woman. Additionally, the software was used to make another student in the image appear thinner. Ramirez, who is Hispanic, initially reacted with humor but later expressed that he felt "silenced and erased" by the university's decision to digitally replace him.

Charlene Gage, Stanford’s director of university public relations, stated that school officials reviewed the incident and confirmed the violation. Stanford’s internal AI policy strictly prohibits the use of technology to create or alter images of people, events, or university achievements without proper disclosure. The university noted that both the unauthorized alteration and the failure to disclose the use of AI were breaches of these guidelines. In response, the university is currently working with the Residential and Dining Enterprises department to implement additional training and ensure that all future promotional materials undergo proper review to prevent similar occurrences.