Is it just us or has college graduation season felt a little robotic this year?

The big picture: The class of 2026 is entering a job market that's on ice as employers anticipate how AI will change their workforce needs.

• So, many grads weren't jazzed about the technology's front-and-center role in their graduation ceremonies.

Driving the news: Glendale Community College relied on AI to read its graduates' names last week, to spectacular failure.

• The system malfunctioned, announcing names in the incorrect order and skipping many others altogether.
• "Here's what's happening. We're using a new AI system as our reader," college president Tiffany Hernandez said, to a chorus of boos, during the ceremony.

Meanwhile, boos began the moment former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, UofA's commencement speaker, took the stage last Friday.

• And they picked up steam every time he mentioned AI.

What they're saying: "It will touch every profession, every classroom, every hospital, every laboratory, every person, and every relationship you have. I know what many of you are feeling about that, I can hear you," Schmidt said.

Zoom out: Other tech-focused graduation speakers received similar responses nationwide, signaling widespread anxiety over AI's impact on the entry-level workforce.

Grads have some empirical evidence to back up their fears:

• The unemployment rate for recent grads was 5.7% in Q4 2025. That's above the national rate (4.2%), which almost never happens.
• Underemployment for recent grads is 42.5%, the highest since 2020.

Between the lines: AI is not the root cause of all the job market woes, but it's catching almost all of the blame, per recent polling.

• Gen Z's excitement about AI dropped 14 points over the last year to just 22%, according to Gallup polling released last month.
• Hopefulness about the technology fell nine points to 18%, while anger rose nine points to 31%.

The bottom line: For 70 years, a bachelor's degree was the most reliable on-ramp to a stable career. That's no longer true, Axios' Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei wrote in a recent "Behind the Curtain" column.

Tell a grad

With the primary two months away, the feud between Maricopa County's election officials has hit a new low.

Why it matters: The drama is casting doubt on the election system in a critical swing state ahead of the midterms.

Driving the news: County Recorder Justin Heap, through an attorney, sent a letter to county supervisors yesterday warning they could face criminal liability if they moved forward with a planned vote on ballot drop box locations for the July 21 primary.

• The letter noted that poll workers who help them administer the drop boxes could face felony charges, too.
• Heap argues drop boxes fall under his authority, not the supervisors'.

The big picture: This boils down to a fundamental disagreement over who should be making what election decisions.

• The county's election duties — mailing ballots, administering vote centers, tabulating results, etc. — are split between the supervisors and recorder.
• The Board of Supervisors is controlled by Republicans who've defended the election system, while Heap is aligned with the MAGA wing of the GOP and has questioned the system's integrity.

The board ultimately voted unanimously to approve the drop box locations.

What we're watching: County staff cautioned that the fighting could soon cause delays in election planning, which is no small undertaking in the nation's second-largest voting jurisdiction.

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The state executed Leroy McGill yesterday for a 2002 murder in which he set two people on fire, killing one. It was Arizona's third execution since the death penalty resumed here last year. (12 News)

🌠 A section of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument has been officially certified a "Dark Sky Park." (KGUN9)

🪏 The Apache Junction Public Library expects to complete a 20,000-square-foot community garden in June. (ABC15)

⛏️ A state oil and gas commission approved new geothermal exploration wells in Greenlee County that are part of a project to power Freeport McMoRan's Morenci Mine. (KJZZ)

School's out (or almost out) for Valley kiddos, which leaves moms and dads with the difficult task of keeping them entertained.

• It's an increasingly difficult task when going outside is off the table because of the oppressive heat.

We need advice. What are the best, kid-friendly, indoor activities in the Valley?

• Share in our poll here.