The Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band (LSJUMB) is one of Stanford’s most photographed student organizations, having been featured on Stanford’s social media platforms and framed in campus buildings. But on Monday, members were shocked to find that Stanford had posted an AI-generated depiction of the group — all-white and all-male.
“I think my initial reaction was just shock and then also disappointment. It’s such a sort of garish depiction,” said Andy Durham ’27, an LSJUMB head of external operations.
The image, included on the “About” page of Stanford’s new Campus Center construction project, featured a marching band in red blazers and fedoras performing in what is currently White Plaza.
The caption described the image as a “concept rendering of White Plaza with a band playing in outdoor space.” An April 23 snapshot of the website included the same image caption. It is unclear if the image was present at that time.
A member of the Band initially discovered the generated images on Monday, LSJUMB conductor and executive officer Sadie Taylor ’29 told The Daily.
In an email sent to the Campus Center team at 5:59 p.m. on Monday, Taylor and fellow LSJUMB leaders described the image as inaccurate and offensive.
“Your image is not of any new proposed aspect of the campus center and therefore does not constitute ‘concept rendering’ as you claim, and plenty of photos of our actual organization playing outside the bookstore already exist,” they wrote. “We welcome you to use one of those, instead of falsifying an all-white, all-male, AI slop version of the Band.”
The image was replaced with a concept rendering of the space shortly thereafter.
The incident is the latest in a pattern of AI use by the University. In September, Stanford drew national attention after Residential and Dining Enterprises (R&DE) modified the race and appearance of several students using AI. Later that month, R&DE removed several pieces of AI-generated art from Lakeside Dining.
In an email to The Daily on Tuesday, Assistant Vice President of Communications Angie Davis defended the depiction and use of AI. The rendering intended to depict Commons Great Room, a new building in the Campus Center construction project, she wrote.
“As is standard with construction and design projects, the Campus Center website is illustrated with artist renderings to show the vision for the reimagined center of campus. AI-assisted imagery is standard industry practice for architectural visualization,” Davis wrote. “The figures in these renderings are illustrative and not intended to depict real individuals.” Davis added that the figures were not intended to depict members of LSJUMB.
Stanford’s official AI guidelines prohibit generating “content that depicts, impersonates, or closely resembles a real person.”
Members of the band, however, said that several of the figures in the image resembled current, real members of LSJUMB. Figures in the image appeared in red blazers, fedoras and white shirts, which resemble the attire of LSJUMB.
“Our likenesses are being put into this AI algorithm and spit out and spat out, which is just ridiculous. It’s insane,” said LSJUMB Drum Major Jose Serrano ’27. He also pushed back against the idea that AI was necessary to generate images of people.
“It’s pretty stupid,” he said. “If you’re going to use AI, make an AI thing for your building, but don’t put people on it.”
Taylor also expressed frustration with the image, and said that the University did not inform the band before posting the image.
“We work pretty hard to champion diversity within the organization and try and encourage women and students of color to join,” Taylor said. “So to see the University sort of undo all of that, it’s pretty frustrating.”
She also expressed confusion about the University’s decision to use AI in the first place.
“I don’t understand the need to AI-generate images of students that you already have, doing the activities that they already do,” Taylor said.