A graduation ceremony at Glendale Community College turned chaotic after an artificial intelligence system malfunctioned and skipped the names of multiple graduates as they walked across the stage.
The incident happened during the school’s May 15 commencement ceremony at Desert Diamond Arena, where students and families quickly reacted with boos and frustration after names were missed during the ceremony.
According to video circulating online, Tiffany Hernandez addressed the crowd and acknowledged the problem was tied to a new AI-powered name-reading system being used during the event.
“That is a lesson learned for us,” Hernandez told the crowd during the ceremony.
The disruption hit a nerve with many graduates, who had spent years working toward the moment only to have part of the ceremony interrupted by technical issues. Hernandez initially told attendees there would not be enough time for affected graduates to walk the stage again, prompting louder backlash from the audience.
After several minutes of strong reactions from students and families, the decision was reversed and graduates whose names had been skipped were invited back to the stage. This time, a human announcer read the names.
In a statement provided after the ceremony, a spokesperson for the Maricopa County Community College District confirmed there had been a technical problem during the event.
“During one of our commencement ceremonies, there was a technical issue that impacted the reading of some graduate names,” the district said in a statement.
“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. We have also communicated directly with graduates to apologize for the experience.”
The district added that officials are “taking steps to ensure an issue like this does not occur again.”
The moment has since gone viral online, with many social media users pointing out the irony of a college using AI technology for commencement after students are routinely warned against relying on AI for assignments and coursework.
The ceremony also comes amid growing debate around artificial intelligence in education, workplaces, and public events, with several recent graduation ceremonies drawing backlash after speakers heavily promoted AI technology during commencement addresses.
