GLENDALE, ARIZONA — An artificial intelligence name-reading system malfunctioned during Glendale Community College's graduation ceremony on May 15, causing some graduates' names to go uncalled as they crossed the stage. After initially telling affected students they could not walk again, the college reversed course and invited those graduates back to the stage.

Videos posted to social media showed dozens of students were impacted by what the college district called a technical issue. The AI name-reading system used at the ceremony was new.

College president Tiffany Hernandez took the stage to explain the mishap and apologized as members of the crowd booed and yelled. "We're using a new AI system," Hernandez said. "That is a lesson learned for us."

Hernandez initially told the graduates they could not walk the stage a second time to have their names read. "Each of you were able to walk the stage and get a picture, which is what I would hope is the most meaningful," she said.

After a few minutes and strong reactions from the crowd, the decision was reversed. Graduates whose names had been skipped were called up to walk again, with two people reading the names as they crossed the stage.

In a statement, Maricopa Community Colleges addressed the disruption. "During one of our commencement ceremonies, there was a technical issue that impacted the reading of some graduate names," the district said. "While the issue was corrected during the ceremony, we are sorry for the disruption it caused during what should have been a celebratory moment for our graduates and their families. We are incredibly proud of all our graduates and are taking steps to ensure an issue like this does not occur again," the district added.