Arizona college skips over several graduates after an AI malfunction at commencement ceremony

Glendale Community College President Tiffany Hernandez faced a wave of backlash from students during a recent commencement ceremony after an artificial intelligence system tasked with reading graduate names malfunctioned. The technical error resulted in several students being skipped as they crossed the stage, prompting loud booing from the crowd.

A Technical Failure During Graduation

Toward the end of the ceremony, President Hernandez addressed the attendees to explain the disruption. According to a YouTube stream of the event, she informed the audience that the college had implemented a new AI system to serve as the reader for the ceremony.
“So here’s what’s happening: We’re using a new AI system as our reader,” Hernandez told the students, who responded with overwhelming boos. “Yup, yup. So that is a lesson learned for us.”

Addressing the Disruption

Following the malfunction, the college was unable to redo the ceremony to include the names that were missed. Instead, students who had been skipped were instructed to form two lines and provide their names to be announced through a microphone so they could walk across the stage for their photos.
“I am so sorry,” Hernandez said to the graduates. “There’s plenty of opportunities, I hope, to take some really good pictures and to celebrate you with your loved ones as well.”
Maricopa Community Colleges, which oversees the Glendale institution, issued a statement apologizing for the incident. While the organization noted that the issue was corrected during the event, they expressed regret for the disruption caused during what was intended to be a celebratory moment for graduates and their families.

AI Tensions at Commencement Ceremonies

The incident at Glendale Community College occurred amid a broader trend of commencement speakers facing dissent when discussing artificial intelligence. At the University of Arizona, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt was met with jeers while attempting to draw parallels between the rise of computers and the emergence of AI.
Similarly, at the University of Central Florida, real estate executive Gloria Caulfield faced boos during her commencement speech when she referred to AI as the “next industrial revolution.” These instances reflect a growing tension regarding the role of technology in the future of the graduating generation.