Episode 19 - AI @ Graduations: Straight From the Horse’s Mouth

In the middle of our largest spring season ever, AI at graduation has been making headlines - and not always for the right reasons.

Between the Glendale glitch, graduates booing speakers, and a broader wave of AI backlash, it’s easy for the real story to get lost. So instead of just talking about it ourselves, we’re sharing an interview with Peter Lafford, one of our longtime name readers who has been reading names at ASU for 30 years.

Peter has seen graduation from the front row for three decades. He knows the old way. He’s watched the technology evolve. And he has a grounded, human perspective on how AI is helping make one of the most important moments in a student’s life even better.

This episode is about names, dignity, student control, and why getting pronunciation right matters. AI is not replacing the humanity of graduation here - it is helping protect it.

Audio of KJZZ interview: https://youtu.be/8OziE7IYcb8?si=osp43IJcLORTyV2R&t=2118

Transcript of KJZZ interview: https://www.kjzz.org/the-show/2026-05-21/hes-been-an-asu-graduation-reader-for-decades-now-an-ai-system-uses-his-voice-to-say-the-names

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