GLENDALE, AZ (AZFamily) — An AI system used to read graduate names at Glendale Community College’s commencement ceremony malfunctioned, leaving students and families frustrated.
The names being read during GCC’s commencement didn’t appear to match who was walking across the stage. Then the names at the bottom of the screen stopped changing. The ceremony was paused at least twice.
Grace Reimer said she was proud to be there in the moment. It was only after she crossed the stage and returned to her seat that she realized something was off.
“I also didn’t hear a lot of cheering, and I know my family is a pretty loud family,” Reimer said.
Several minutes later, she finally heard her name.
“Yeah. That’s not right. And it definitely made me feel uneasy,” Reimer said.
GCC President Tiffany Hernandez tried to explain what was going on during the ceremony.
“Here’s what happening. We’re using a new AI system as our reader,” Hernandez said to boos from the audience. “Yep, yep. So that is a lesson learned for us.”
The explanation didn’t sit well with Reimer and several other students.
“It didn’t feel sincere and it kinda felt like they didn’t care,” Reimer said.
In response to questions, GCC sent the following statement:
“During one of our commencement ceremonies, there was a technical issue that impacted the reading of some graduate names.
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.
We are incredibly proud of all our graduates and are taking steps to ensure an issue like this does not occur again.”
“I would have liked a little more thought to have gone into it rather than pushing something as simple as reading some names off to an AI device,” Reimer said.
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