Arizona college skips several graduates after an AI malfunction at commencement

Nbcwashington · May 21, 2026 · 471 words · By Doha Madani; NBC News

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What to know about Arizona college skips several graduates after an AI malfunction at commencement

The president of Glendale Community College in Arizona was met with loud booing by students after she admitted the artificial intelligence that was being used to read names skipped over some graduates at the commencement ceremony last week.

Claims checked 6

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center83%

Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

Tiffany Hernandez, the college president, addressed the crowd toward the end of the ceremony to provide instructions on how to ensure everyone gets to walk across the stage.

Common ground

It was at that point that she explained the college was using an AI technology to read names, according to a YouTube stream of the ceremony.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Arizona college skips several graduates after an AI malfunction at commencement?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that At the nearby University of Arizona, Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt was booed while tying the technology to the rise of the computer during his own college years?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/arizona-college-skips-…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 6 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6

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Claim 1: “At the nearby University of Arizona, Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt was booed while tying the technology to the rise of the computer during his own college years.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources report that former Google CEO Eric Schmidt was booed during a University of Arizona commencement speech while discussing AI.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Eric Emerson Schmidt (born April 27, 1955) is an American businessman and former computer engineer who was the chief executive officer of Google from 2001 to 2011 and the company's executive chairman …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Schmidt

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Merops is a system for countering enemy unmanned aerial systems, or drones. It is being developed by the California-based Project Eagle, a venture of former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. The Merops system …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merops_(weapon)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP) is a non-partisan U.S. think tank and private foundation focused on technology and security. Founded by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt in October 2021, S…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Competitive_Studies_Pr…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “Maricopa Community Colleges, which oversees the Glendale college, said in a statement that it communicated an apology directly to the students over the technical malfunction.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm that Maricopa Community Colleges (the overseeing body) issued a statement apologizing to students for the technical malfunction.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Glendale Community College (GCC) is a public community college in Glendale, Arizona. GCC opened in 1965. Programs include associate degrees, certificate programs, industry-specific training, and unive…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glendale_Community_College_(Ar…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of colleges and universities in Arizona. This list also includes other educational institutions providing higher education, meaning tertiary, quaternary, and, in some cases, post-second…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colleges_and_universit…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD), also known as Maricopa Community Colleges, is a public community college district in Maricopa County, Arizona. Headquartered in Tempe, MCCCD is …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maricopa_County_Community_Coll…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “The president of Glendale Community College in Arizona was met with loud booing by students after she admitted the artificial intelligence that was being used to read names skipped over some graduates at the commencement ceremony last week.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web search results confirm that Glendale Community College President Tiffany Hernandez was booed after an AI name-reading system skipped graduates during the commencement ceremony.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Glendale Community College (GCC) is a public community college in Glendale, California.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glendale_Community_College_(Ca…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Glendale High School is a high school in Glendale, California, United States. The school is part of the Glendale Unified School District.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glendale_High_School_(Glendale…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “Boos also resounded at the University of Central Florida commencement this month as well when Gloria Caulfield, a real estate executive, called AI the “next industrial revolution” in her own speech.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources confirm that real estate executive Gloria Caulfield was booed at the University of Central Florida commencement after calling AI the 'next industrial revolution'.

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web search NEUTRAL — Students boo real estate development executive during graduation speech on AI – video.As the crowd calmed down, Caulfield proceeded. “Only a few years ago, AI was not a factor in our lives.” That seem…
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/may/12/florida-s…

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web search NEUTRAL — That was the effect Gloria Caulfield, a real estate executive, seemed to have when she addressed the graduating class of the University of Central Florida’s College of Arts and Humanities and its Nich…
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/14/style/ucf-commencement-ai…

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web search NEUTRAL — University of Central Florida graduates loudly booed commencement speaker Gloria Caulfield when she called AI “the next industrial revolution.” The crowd then cheered when she said AI hadn’t been a fa…
https://news.symplexia.com/2026/05/technology-innovation/inn…

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Claim 5: “she explained the college was using an AI technology to read names, according to a YouTube stream of the ceremony.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results explicitly state that President Hernandez explained the use of a new AI system to read names. While the provided evidence for claim 2 specifically contains general YouTube links, the evidence for claims 0 and 1 (which are part of the same event reporting) confirms she explained the AI usage on stage, and the claim specifies this was seen on a YouTube stream, which is consistent with the reporting of the event.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — American River College (ARC) is a public community college in unincorporated Sacramento, California. It is one of four colleges in the Los Rios Community College District and is part of the California…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_River_College

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Moorpark College is a public community college in Moorpark, California in the United States. It was established in 1967 with enrollment of 2,500 students, and enrolled 14,254 students in 2014.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moorpark_College

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Patrick Bet-David (born October 18, 1978) is an Iranian-born American MLM businessman, conservative media personality, author, and podcaster. He is the founder of Valuetainment Media and the host of t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Bet-David

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “Tiffany Hernandez, the college president, addressed the crowd toward the end of the ceremony to provide instructions on how to ensure everyone gets to walk across the stage.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm President Tiffany Hernandez addressed the crowd toward the end of the ceremony to provide instructions on how to ensure everyone walked the stage.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ohlone College (Ohlone or OC; ) is a public community college, a member of the California Community College System, with its main campus in Fremont and a second campus in Newark. The Ohlone Community…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohlone_College

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Taraji Penda Henson ( tə-RAH-jee; born September 11, 1970) is an American actress, producer, author, and mental health advocate. Her accolades include a Golden Globe Award, alongside nominations for a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taraji_P._Henson

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.