A UCLA graduate has gone viral after boldly showing off how he used ChatGPT to complete his final project — right in the middle of his graduation ceremony.
During the university’s commencement at Pauley Pavilion earlier this month, Andre Mai, a computational and systems biology major, held up his laptop to the crowd — and the cameras — revealing long blocks of AI-generated text. The brief moment was caught on UCLA’s official livestream and quickly made the rounds on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), drawing both cheers and criticism.
As the crowd erupted, Mai mouthed “Let’s gooooo!” while scrolling through the AI-powered responses on his screen. The clip, later reshared by multiple accounts, has sparked heated discussions about the role of artificial intelligence in education — and whether using tools like ChatGPT counts as cheating or smart resourcefulness.
Online reactions were sharply divided.
“We’re so cooked,” wrote one dismayed viewer. Another added, “This is why you can’t trust degrees anymore.”
A third joked: “Our future doctors gonna have one AirPod in asking ChatGPT how to do open heart surgery.”
Others defended the move, saying AI is now part of modern workflows and knowing how to use it effectively is a skill in itself.
“If ChatGPT is why you graduated, ChatGPT already took your job,” one person argued. But another countered: “It proves he knows how to use the tools available — that’s not cheating, that’s adapting.”
In a follow-up video shared on Instagram — which was even reshared by ChatGPT’s own page — Mai explained his side of the story. He said he used AI to help wrap up documentation for his machine learning lab and summarize key equations for two challenging finals, one due at 5 p.m. and another at midnight.
“I just flipped my screen around when the camera crew came up,” he said. “My professors were encouraging the use of AI throughout the course.”
He added that he’d used AI throughout his studies, whether for understanding technical concepts or even choosing DJ equipment, as he’s also a part-time DJ.
But the clip reignited broader concerns. According to a Pew Research Center survey, around 26% of teen students used ChatGPT for school assignments in 2024, doubling from the year before. A study from MIT even warned that over-reliance on AI may impair critical thinking and lead to reduced cognitive skills in students.
As of now, UCLA hasn’t commented on the viral clip, though universities can revoke degrees in serious cases of academic dishonesty. Whether Mai’s viral moment will have consequences remains to be seen.
