AI system fails during college graduation in Arizona
GLENDALE, Ariz. (CNN, KYMA) - A technical glitch at a college commencement ceremony in Arizona left graduates and families frustrated.
The issue: The school was using an artificial intelligence (AI) system to read the graduate's names as they crossed the stage, and the system malfunctioned.
Students at Glendale Community College (GCC) worked so hard to get their diploma and graduate, and they say the school should have been better prepared.
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, and then, the screen on the left side of the stage goes blank.
"I was honestly just proud to be there in the moment," said Grace Reimer, one of the graduating students. "I also didn't hear a lot of cheering and I know my family is a pretty loud family."
It was only after Reimer crossed the stage and returned to her seat that she realized something was off. Several minutes later, she finally heard her name.
"Yeah. That's not right. And it definitely made me feel uneasy," Reimer expressed.
GCC President Tiffany Hernandez tried to explain what was going on saying to the crowd, "Here's what happening. We're using a new AI system as our reader...So that is a lesson learned for us."
However, it 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 shared.
In response, GCC says, "While the issue was corrected during the ceremony, we are sorry for the disruption it caused…We have also communicated directly with graduates to apologize."
Students say they received an email with that apology that afternoon.
"I would have liked a little bit more thought to have gone into it rather than pushing something as simple as reading some names off to an AI device," Reimer remarked.
The school says students who wanted to re-cross the stage were able to do so after, with an actual person reading their name.
