Stanford dining arm used AI to slim two students and alter clothing
single source· 2 articles · confidence: medium · first seen 2026-09-24 00:00 UTC
What this means for you
Nothing to build on. If you run image models over photographs of real, identifiable people for marketing, consent and disclosure are the review step, not an afterthought — this is the failure mode. No product, no policy change and no date accompanies the confirmation.
Stanford's Residential & Dining Enterprises used generative AI to alter a promotional photograph of students, and the university has confirmed it. The software changed several students' clothing into Stanford merchandise, slimmed two of them and reshaped their faces, according to the Stanford Daily. A second student outlet, the Stanford Review, reports that the same edit also changed students' races. Both accounts appeared on 23–24 September 2026 and are logged as a single case by the AI Incident Database. Neither says who approved the edit or whether the image is still in use.
Key facts
- ·Stanford confirmed that Residential & Dining Enterprises used generative AI to modify the appearance of several students in a promotional image source
- ·The edits changed students' clothing into Stanford merchandise and slimmed down two students source
- ·The Stanford Review reports that AI was used to change the races of students shown in the department's advertising source
- ·The Review also reports that AI was used to noticeably slim down students and alter their faces source
- ·The Stanford Daily account is dated 23 September 2026; the aggregator logged both pieces under incident 1708 source
What the sources say
- AI Incident Database (citing the Stanford Daily) — Aggregator record of the campus paper's report that the university confirmed the image edits.
- AI Incident Database (citing the Stanford Review) — Aggregator record of a second student outlet's account, which adds the change of race.
Sources
The original reporting. Follow these — they did the work.
- AI Incident DatabaseUniversity confirms use of AI-edited photo amid controversy2026-09-24
- AI Incident DatabaseStanford R&DE Uses AI to Race Swap Students for Advertising2026-09-24