Stanford University has issued an apology after a promotional image was altered using artificial intelligence to remove a Hispanic male student and replace him with a Black female student, according to reporting by the Stanford Review that was later confirmed to NBC News. The university acknowledged that not only the fact of the alteration but also the specific ways in which the image was changed amounted to what a spokesperson called a “serious error in judgment.”
“Not only the fact that the image was altered, but the ways in which it was altered, reflect a serious error in judgment,” a Stanford spokesperson told NBC News. “We have apologized to the students in the photo whose images were altered or erased.”
The spokesperson added: “Quite simply, this was wrong and should never have happened.” The university said it has launched an investigation and intends to put protocols in place to prevent a similar incident from occurring again.
How the Image Was Changed
The altered photo appeared in an advertisement produced by Stanford Residential & Dining Enterprises and was displayed on welcome banners around campus, according to the Stanford Review. The image reportedly used AI to substitute a Hispanic male student with a Black female student. The same image also changed the faces of two other students so that they appeared noticeably slimmer, the Review reported.
Garret Molloy, editor-in-chief of the Stanford Review, which first broke the story, told NBC News that he believes the university was attempting to manufacture a particular impression of its student body. “In the past, we did that with college photographers going around campus and trying to find a diverse friend group,” Molloy said. “Those college photographers are now being replaced with AI.”
Molloy also noted that the AI-altered promotional image, which had been placed on welcome banners around campus, has since been taken down.
Student Speaks Out
The male student whose likeness was removed from the photo told the Stanford Review that seeing his identity changed and being left out of the image left him feeling diminished. “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,” said Billy Ramirez.
The university has not publicly identified the other students whose faces were digitally altered, but the spokesperson said the school has apologized to all the students whose images were changed or erased.
Broader Questions About AI in Marketing
The incident raises broader questions about how colleges and universities use artificial intelligence tools in promotional materials. As AI image editing becomes faster and more accessible, institutions may face increasing pressure to disclose when images have been modified, particularly when the changes touch on race, gender, or body appearance.
The controversy has drawn widespread mockery on social media, with critics pointing to the episode as an example of the pitfalls that can arise when diversity goals are pursued through technological shortcuts rather than authentic representation.
Stanford’s public apology marks the latest instance of a university facing criticism over image manipulation. While the school has promised an investigation and new safeguards, the episode has already sparked a conversation about where the line should be drawn between editing for aesthetics and altering the identities of the people being depicted.
The university’s response is now being closely watched, both by students who say they were erased from their own campus image and by observers who see the incident as a cautionary tale about the unintended consequences of using AI to engineer inclusion.
This article is based on reporting by Breitbart News and NBC News.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2026/09/27/stanford-u-apologizes-for-using-ai-to-race-swap-hispanic-male-student-for-black-female-in-ad/