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Stanford R&DE Uses AI to Race Swap Students for Advertising

88 points · 63 comments · docdeek

  1. andsoitis · · focus · HN ↗
    Marketing is about attracting customers.

    So the incentives are there to present the image you want to project to attract customers.

    1. 10xDev · · focus · HN ↗
      Hey buddy, not everything is about cold calculation. Some of us value culture and integrity. These are going to matter even more in the age of AI not less.
      1. andsoitis · · focus · HN ↗
        Advertising is more about selling aspirations rather than reflect objective reality.

        To wit: even the original photo was probably staged…

        1. 10xDev · · focus · HN ↗
          Anything you do as a university / person reflects your values. This shows a lack of integrity.
          1. andsoitis · · focus · HN ↗
            > This shows a lack of integrity.

            Why?

            1. cucumber3732842 · · focus · HN ↗
              It's considered unethical for food marketers to use marketing photos that aren't of the actual product. Sure, it's a perfect example staged under perfect lighting with perfect presentation but when you see a Dorito on the bag it's a real Dorito.

              Why are photos of people any different? There needs to be some grounding of the presentation to what you're actually selling.

              (It's also illegal for food, but that's beside the point, you shouldn't get your moral compass from the law)

              1. bot403 · · focus · HN ↗
                I'm not sure why you say this. It's well known food is often very staged, and inedible substitutes often used in advertisements.

                Do you want an advertising picture of a puddle of melted ice cream under hot studio lights?

                And why would it be illegal for food?

                1. cucumber3732842 · · focus · HN ↗
                  You cannot use stand ins for the product being sold. You can photograph your cereal in glue because milk makes cereal soggy or you can drizzle your chocolate syrup over mashed potatoes because ice cream will melt but neither of those examples would be legal if you were selling the milk or the ice cream. There's some gray area at the margin but this is how the law has been interpreted and what has been enforced for decades.
            2. anon7000 · · focus · HN ↗
              Isn’t it obvious? Integrity is about honesty. They showed a picture claiming the school is one way, but the picture was a fabrication. It’d be the same if they were staging food in the cafeteria for marketing, but that food isn’t available to students.

              You can make what you have look as good as it can, and I’m sure everyone does that.

              But AI fabrications are crossing the line to outright lies, which is by definition violating integrity.

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