NYU administrators confirmed that a letter sent to over 35,000 alumni featured an image generated by artificial intelligence, likely violating university policy that mandates that any AI imagery be identified.
The annual “Illuminate Your Impact Today” letter, mailed in late September, asked previous donors to consider a $500-plus gift toward NYU’s academic scholarships and research programs. The rendering at the bottom of the letter, which did not credit AI, depicted people walking down Fifth Avenue toward Washington Square Arch and included several headless figures as well as a woman’s leg detached from her body.
Gina Fiorillo, the assistant vice president of annual giving at the Office of Alumni Relations — and the letter’s signatory — told WSN that NYU provided a freelance designer with guidance for a “highly stylized” illustration but “left it to his professional judgement and skills to determine what tools were best.” She added that the university has collaborated with the artist for several years.
“We will ensure that future commissioned work aligns with the university’s evolving guidelines for the ethical and transparent use of generative AI,” Fiorillo wrote in a statement. “I would also like to mention that this campaign has proven to be successful, with our fall solicitations raising over $35,000 in just a few weeks.”
NYU’s Generative AI Guidelines state that in any communication from the university, “people, places, and other characteristic elements that tell the NYU story should not be generated by AI” due to data and privacy concerns. They also cite transparency as one of the four “guiding principles” of using AI, stating that generated content should reference ChatGPT, or any respective tool used. It is not clear whether the guidelines apply to commissioned artists.
In an interview with WSN, Steinhardt alum Peter Slattery said that as a yearly donor, seeing the AI-generated image initially deterred him from contributing this year and prompted him to email Fiorillo.
“NYU is supposed to be a premier institution with amazing arts programs,” Slattery said. “Is this what we want to put forward to alums?”
A week after his complaint, NYU sent a digital rendition of the alumni donation letter with restored heads in the image, but a woman’s leg still appeared to be missing. When Slattery saw the email but had not yet received a response from NYU, he made a Reddit post about the letter, which garnered over 200 upvotes and numerous comments critical of the university.
Slattery then sent a follow-up email, where he told Fiorillo that NYU could benefit from hiring an artist who “would be really grateful” to illustrate the image. After exchanging emails, Fiorillo arranged a call in early October to hear his concerns. Slattery said they shared a “productive conversation” that made him consider donating again.
“I know how difficult these sort of campaigns can be,” Slattery said. “The humans who work for NYU are fantastic but the institutional communication could be improved.”
Contact Leena Ahmed at [email protected].