After AI Allegations, Class of 2026 Picks a New Jacket

The Class of 2026’s class jacket design competition was thrown into controversy last week after the creator of the winning design was accused of using generative artificial intelligence, prompting student backlash, an online petition, and the selection of a new winner. 

Class jackets, also known as senior jackets or beer jackets, are an iconic staple of the Princeton experience, worn at Class Day and Reunions for years to come. Each year, the graduating class votes on designs created by members of the class, and this year, approximately 50 designs were submitted. (There were 18 designs for the Class of 2025’s competition.) 

Following two rounds of voting, a Dec. 8 email announced Samuel Henriques ’26 as the winner of the competition. Less than an hour later, Derek Geng ’26 sent an email to the FreeFood listserv, titled “[FreeFood] AI Slopbowl at class 2026 jacket,” alleging that the design was AI-generated. The next day, a Change.org petition created by Margaret Miao ’26 titled “Demand for Integrity for the Class of 2026 Jacket” began to circulate, calling for clear evidence that the jacket was designed by a human rather than an algorithm.  

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Images of the jacket that won the Class of 2026 vote (top) and a second version that the committee collaborated on (bottom) were sent to seniors Dec. 8.

Class of 2026 email

The announcement email had asked the Class of 2026 to vote between the initial jacket of Henriques that won and an additional version that the committee and Henriques collaborated on, a departure from previous years. Version No. 1 featured a shield with “2026” on the front, and a tiger and flowers on the back, in light orange and off-white. Version No. 2 featured a “P” and “2026” on the front, and a tiger and the cupola of Nassau Hall on the back, in a darker orange. 

In the petition, Miao emphasized that the jacket should reflect the values of the Honor Code, as well as integrity and honesty. “Princeton’s vitality as an academic institution rests upon the ability of each student to create their own individual contribution,” she wrote. “Our class jacket, an enduring symbol of our time at Princeton, should reflect these values and our values as a class.” 

The petition quickly gained traction with 615 signatures before it closed. Comments included “i am torching my jacket in front of nassau hall if i receive this garbage,” “Human creativity is important!,” and “Don’t Grok our Princeton!” One student argued that discarding human submissions in favor of AI-generated designs would undermine the tradition of the class jacket, setting a troubling precedent. Students also took to Fizz, an anonymous social networking app for college students, to express their frustration with the jacket. 

Less than a week later, on Dec. 13, the class announced a new winner of the competition: Zavier Foster ’26. Foster’s design featured ivy on the front of the jacket, ivy and a tiger on the back, and the Princeton shield with the Class of 2026’s year on the sleeve. “The final design was elected through a ranked-choice vote by the class, and reflects the highest-ranked eligible jacket design based on the results,” read the email announcement. When asked whether the initially selected design was AI-generated, Sol Choi ’26, a class officer and jacket committee member, referred PAW to the Dec. 13 announcement. Henriques did not respond to a request for comment. 

This was the first year the class jacket contest had rules governing AI use. While the guidelines were not in place when designs were initially submitted, they applied to those who made it to the next round. In a Nov. 14 email sent to finalists in the competition, Choi wrote, “Due to the general increased use of AI, we are requiring all designers who made it past the first round of voting to confirm that their design does not incorporate any AI-generated content.” The disclosure statement required all designers to acknowledge “any use of AI tools in the creation of my design would result in disqualification from the Class Jackets Design Competition.” Choi noted that all designs considered would undergo AI detection before being confirmed for the final round.  

Class jackets will be distributed to seniors during Senior Checkout in late April.