Graduates Revolt: How AI Reading Names at Ceremony Sparked Unexpected Outrage

Ah, graduation day — that bittersweet parade where your name usually echoes proudly from the podium as you stride across the stage, basking in that fleeting spotlight. But what happens when a robot, not your kindly old Dean, utters your name in an emotionless, mechanical monotone? Pace University recently stirred up quite the hullabaloo by swapping human announcers for an AI voice that reads out graduates’ names after scanning a QR code on their phones. Sure, cutting down endless ceremonies sounds like a win—who hasn’t twiddled their thumbs at these things?—but hearing your moment announced by a voice straight out of a supermarket self-checkout aisle leaves you wondering: does efficiency sometimes come at the cost of a little humanity? Some students definitely got the ‘ick’, while others shrugged and said, “Well, better than someone butchering my name live on mic.” Either way, it’s a startling glimpse at how AI is elbowing its way into even our most ceremonial milestones. So, is this the future of graduations, or just a glitch waiting to happen? LEARN MORE.

Some students got the ‘ick’ when their university used AI to read out their names during their graduation ceremony.

While we can all agree that graduation ceremonies last way too long, the idea of speeding things up with the help of AI sort of makes sense.

However, people have likened Pace University’s graduation ceremony to a ‘supermarket self-checkout’ after they used a robot voice to read out the names of the graduation students.

Usually a senior academic figure like a Faculty Dean or representative reads out the names, from what I can remember. I graduated a long time ago.

Now, a viral video on X shows students of the New York City university waiting to get their QR code scanned from their phones as they step on stage.

After the code gets scanned, their name gets called out by artificial intelligence.

Colin Rugg reshared the video on X, as the American investor claimed: “Colleges are using AI name readers to announce students’ names during graduation ceremonies.

“Students scan their phones like they’re in a checkout line before an AI voice reads their names.

“Pace University was seen using the technology during its commencement ceremony.”

Quoting one student, Rugg said: “Our names are getting read by AI at graduation… getting the ick at my own graduation.

People have been left stunned after artificial intelligence (AI) was present at Pace University’s graduation ceremony (X)

“It is AI. We were directly told so! We gave a website spelling and it instantly gave us an audio.

“Pace told us it was AI…

“We had to type out phonetic spelling, then it instantly generated audio for us to preview.”

Over in the comments, people said they had been experiencing the same thing.

“This happened at my sister’s graduation at Clemson,” one viewer said.

“Was super weird.”

“Obviously it’s more ‘efficient’, but you just killed the humanity. Pieces of meat at the grocery,” someone else thought.

I mean, it did speed things up (X)

Although others weren’t as bothered with the change to AI, with a third person commenting: “I’d rather have this than what happened in our school where the announcer butchered three names back to back.

“Seems lazy, but has a side of ingenuity.”

Replying to the comment, Rugg said: “I’m going to miss those videos of human announcers completely botching the names… so sad.”

“I have no problem with this. Why would anyone have a problem with this?” a fourth added.

Whereas another viewer pointed out: “I’m shocked none of the students used the opportunity to use a goofy name like Amanda hugandkiss.”

The chance of turn the AI announcer into Moe from The Simpsons was a chance missed.

LADbible Group has contacted Pace University for a comment.