UCLA Grad ChatGPT Stunt Ignites Online Debate

A student from the University of California Los Angeles recently gained widespread attention online after he showcased his use of ChatGPT as a tool that purportedly assisted him in completing his studies and graduating.

Artificial intelligence or AI has become an increasingly integral part of daily life and its presence is also felt in academic settings a development that continues to evolve rapidly. Consequently it is not entirely surprising to find students turning to AI tools to gain an advantage in their coursework.

While the use of AI for academic assignments is often met with disapproval and many educational institutions have policies banning such practices that hasn’t stopped some from continuing to use it sometimes even to help score a diploma.

A video that quickly spread across various social media platforms captured a UCLA student at his graduation ceremony. During the event he displayed his laptop revealing that he had utilized ChatGPT for his academic projects.

UCLA Grad's ChatGPT Reveal Goes Viral

In the video taken from the UCLA graduation livestream the student appears on the jumbotron and shows off his laptop where ChatGPT is open.

He then scrolled up revealing pages of text from the AI all while the rest of the graduating class cheered him on.

Online Reactions and Backlash

The clip was then shared to many social media sites like X and Reddit where it went viral and users mocked the UCLA grad’s stunt.

“Good luck in grad school buddy,” one wrote.

“So many years just to ruin the value of your diploma for the sake of some buzz on the social media,” remarked someone else.

“Imagine paying thousands of dollars to get a college degree then interviewing for your first job. The hiring manager then politely rejects your application since you graduated post 2025,” another chimed in.

Student Clarifies AI Use Amidst Controversy

Footage of the wild scene was uploaded to Instagram by the student Andre Mai who revealed more info and addressed the backlash: “FYI it was an open to AI final due at 5pm.”

Unfortunately for Mai his graduating clip has gone ultra viral amassing over 40M views on X alone and without the added context he provided.

The Broader AI Conversation

He’s not the only one who seems to be reliant on AI though. In another wild moment a man who lives with his physical girlfriend and has a child proposed to his AI girlfriend after falling in love with the chatbot.