An AI speaker messed up and skipped the names of students at a college commencement ceremony and yes, there were many boos
Glendale Community College’s commencement ceremony took an unexpected turn when an artificial intelligence system tasked with reading out graduates’ names malfunctioned during the event. Rather than employing a human speaker for the traditional role, the institution deployed an AI system, which resulted in significant technical failures.
The system mispronounced numerous students’ names throughout the ceremony and, more critically, skipped over some graduates entirely due to a timing error. The technical glitch caused the names displayed on screen to become misaligned with what the AI was reading aloud, compounding embarrassment for affected students and their families.
The audience’s reaction was immediate and vocal—attendees booed the AI system as names were skipped and mangled, making their displeasure unmistakable. The incident sparked considerable outrage from graduates, families, and spectators gathered to celebrate academic achievement.
This mishap reflects a growing pattern of AI missteps in educational and ceremonial contexts. Recent weeks have seen multiple incidents involving AI speakers at separate events being booed for discussing artificial intelligence’s future, including a notable appearance by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. The Glendale Community College failure underscores the risks of deploying untested AI systems in high-stakes, public-facing situations where accuracy and personalization are paramount. The incident has raised important questions about the appropriateness of using AI for roles requiring human judgment and the ability to handle unexpected circumstances gracefully.