AI botches reading of names at Glendale Community College graduation

Glendale Community College’s May 15 graduation ceremony turned chaotic when an AI system failed to correctly read hundreds of graduates’ names, causing mismatches between the names displayed on screen and those being announced. Students holding scanned cards for the AI to process reported incorrect names or omissions, leading to confusion as graduates walked the stage. President Tiffany Hernandez acknowledged the issue mid-ceremony, stating, 'We're using a new AI system as our reader,' before facing boos from the audience. The mix-up left graduates like Grace Reimer, who earned an associate’s degree in fine arts, upset, as the school initially denied students a second walk despite promises of a photo opportunity. Hernandez later reversed course, allowing graduates to walk again, this time with names read by a human. Mariah Chavez, a 30-year-old early childhood program graduate, said her 5-year-old son couldn’t identify her during the first attempt, adding emotional strain to the day. The incident highlighted GCC’s strict AI policy, which prohibits student use of AI tools—punishable by expulsion, suspension, or failure—while the school itself relied on the flawed technology for graduation proceedings. Vice President of Academic Affairs Lorelei Konopka joked about the non-AI portions of the ceremony, saying, 'As soon as we figure this out, we're going to be working next.' After the ceremony, Hernandez issued an apology, which Reimer later questioned using AI detectors, finding it flagged as AI-generated—a detail she called 'hilarious but insincere.' The school confirmed it was reviewing the incident to prevent future errors, though no spokesperson provided further comment.