Central students outraged by AI-generated pictures in…

Following the release of the Central High School yearbook in July 2026, students and alumni expressed significant backlash over the inclusion of AI-generated portraits. The controversy, which gained traction on local social media, centered on the replacement of traditional student photos with AI-rendered cartoon versions.

What happened

The yearbook staff utilized AI software to generate cartoon-style images of students, specifically on the senior superlative page, to align with a Cartoon Network-inspired theme. According to yearbook sponsor Taylor Keowen, the decision was driven by scheduling conflicts, tight deadlines, and concerns regarding trademark issues. Keowen noted that the class had only two 90-minute periods to complete the work and intended for the AI images to serve as an alternative to excluding the students entirely from the page.

Critics, including recent graduate Serenity Stewart, described the images as "uncanny" and an "affront" to the featured seniors. Beyond the aesthetic complaints, students raised ethical concerns regarding the hypocrisy of using AI in a school publication when students face academic penalties for using similar tools in their coursework. Further concerns were raised regarding the privacy implications of uploading images of minors into AI databases and the environmental impact of data centers used to process the imagery. In response to the controversy, art student Naiya Kessler expressed her disappointment and announced plans to personally draw the superlative portraits to provide an alternative to the AI-generated versions.