College Graduation Ceremony Erupts In Boos After 'New AI System' Allegedly Misses 'Hundreds' Of Graduates' Names

Nothing says innovation quite like replacing a person reading names with a machine that allegedly forgets to read the names.

That's what happened during Glendale Community College's commencement ceremony on Friday at Desert Diamond Arena in Arizona, where a "new AI system" reportedly skipped hundreds of students and displayed incorrect names as diplomas were handed out. In one instance, the name Michael D. Gonzales was announced while two women received their diplomas.

With graduates and families growing increasingly frustrated, College President Tiffany Hernandez eventually addressed the crowd and revealed the source of the problem.

Acknowledging the technology mishap, Hernandez told attendees:

“So here’s what’s happening: We’re using a new AI system as our reader… Yup, yup. So that is a lesson learned for us.”

You'd think that lesson might've come up during rehearsal.

The admission drew loud boos from attendees, and the mood only worsened when Hernandez explained the ceremony could not simply be restarted with the correct names displayed. Instead, students who had been missed would be invited back onstage for photos and have their names announced manually.

As the crowd's frustration grew, Hernandez attempted to calm the audience:

“I am so sorry. There’s plenty of opportunities, I hope, to take some really good pictures and to celebrate you with your loved ones as well.”

You can watch the moment below:

Among those affected was fine art graduate Grace Reimer, who told The Arizona Republic that the wrong name and degree appeared on stage during her moment.

Describing the confusion from her perspective, Reimer told the outlet:

“I also didn’t hear a lot of cheering, and I know my family is a pretty loud family.”

The malfunction was also visible on the livestream, where names reportedly disappeared from one side of the split-screen before the feed switched to a wide overhead shot of the arena.

And Hernandez's apology did little to win over Reimer as she remarked it “didn’t feel sincere, and it kinda felt like they didn’t care.”

She also criticized how officials handled the situation in real time:

“The fact that the school stood up there and laughed about it as they were explaining what was going on really hurt, because they did just ruin one of the biggest moments in my life.”

As criticism mounted, Hernandez reportedly reversed course and offered graduates the chance to walk across the stage again with their names announced correctly. The decision drew cheers from some attendees, though Reimer told The Arizona Republic that roughly half the students had already left.

Maricopa Community Colleges, which oversees Glendale Community College, later issued a statement apologizing for the malfunction.

The statement said:

“While the issue was corrected during the ceremony, we are sorry for the disruption it caused during what should have been a celebratory moment for our graduates and their families.”

The college said it also contacted graduates directly to apologize, adding that it remains "incredibly proud" of the graduating class and is taking steps to prevent a similar issue in the future.

Unfortunately for school officials, the internet was less interested in future improvements than the fact that a tool designed to read names appeared to struggle with the entire reading-names portion of the assignment.

You can view the reactions here:

The incident joins a growing list of artificial intelligence-related fails at graduation ceremonies. Earlier this year, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt was booed during a commencement speech at the University of Arizona after discussing AI's role in technological progress.

Meanwhile, at the University of Central Florida, Tavistock Development Company executive Gloria Caulfield faced loud boos after praising artificial intelligence during a graduation ceremony for the College of Arts and Humanities and the Nicholson School of Communication and Media.

At this point, AI might be better off taking a seat in the audience while a volunteer with a clipboard and a halfway decent speaking voice takes the mic.