Advice for 2026 commencement speakers: Don't bring up AI

Glendale Community College's commencement ceremonies hit a snag just as students were walking across the stage to get their diplomas last week. The wrong names were being read aloud at the ceremony, just outside Phoenix. Some of the graduates' names didn't even get read. The college's president, Tiffany Hernandez, tried to explain the problem. "We're using a new AI system as our reader," she said, leading to loud boos from the audience. (In a statement, the college blamed technical issues and said it had apologized to students for the experience.)

Advice for 2026 commencement speakers: Don't bring up AI. Glendale Community College's commencement ceremonies hit a snag just as students were walking across the stage to get their diplomas last week. The wrong names were being read aloud at the ceremony, just outside Phoenix. Some of the graduates' names didn't even get read. The college's president, Tiffany Hernandez, tried to explain the problem. "We're using a new AI system as our reader," she said, leading to loud boos from the audience. (In a statement, the college blamed technical issues and said it had apologized to students for the experience.) Other commencement speakers who have brought up the sweeping changes that artificial intelligence is driving are also facing boos from the Class of 2026. Real estate executive Gloria Caulfield described AI to the graduating class of the U...