AI Name Reader Skips Hundreds at Graduation Ceremony
AI Name Reader Skips Hundreds at Graduation Ceremony
https://www.govtech.com/education/higher-ed/ai-name-reader-skips-hundreds-at-graduation-ceremony
Publish Date: 2026-05-20 15:49:00
Source Domain: www.govtech.com
(TNS) — Leaders at Glendale Community College were booed after the artificial intelligence system they used at graduation hit a technical snafu.
GCC had used the tech to read the names of graduates at the ceremony. However, the AI mixed up or skipped hundreds of names, and the students had to walk again.
The error comes as artificial intelligence disrupts higher education across the nation, although those problems typically occur in the classroom — not at graduation.
“This ceremony was supposed to be something big for me,” said Grace Reimer, a Glendale resident who graduated with an associate’s degree in fine arts. “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.”
According to Reimer, the ceremony started going off the rails soon after the name reading began. Graduates held cards that they scanned for the AI system to read. It wasn’t long before the names on the big screen and the names being played aloud did not match the people who were on stage receiving their diplomas.
In photos of Reimer holding her degree on stage, the incorrect name and degree are listed.
GCC President Tiffany Hernandez addressed the problem after an awkward pause during the May 15 ceremony, according to a livestream video of the event.
“Here’s what’s happening. We’re using a new AI system as our reader,” Hernandez said, receiving boos from the crowd. “That is a lesson learned for us.”
It was a disappointing moment for Mariah Chavez, 30, who worked hard to balance completing her early childhood program and prerequisites for nursing school while caring for a newborn baby. Chavez wanted her 5-year-old son to see her graduate because he is graduating from kindergarten.
“He wasn’t able to point me out until I was walking back to sit down, and that breaks my heart,” Chavez said.
Initially,…
