Imagine graduating from one of the best universities in the world and, instead of raising your diploma, showing your laptop screen with ChatGPT open.
This is what Andre Mai did during his ceremony at UCLA 2025. The young man, who was studying Computational Systems Biology, took advantage of his moment in front of the giant cameras to reveal his “secret weapon” to thousands of people.
Although gossip spread on social media that his diploma had been taken away, the reality is much more curious. Mai was not a lazy student; in fact, he was on the honors list and his professors allowed the use of artificial intelligence. “I never imagined I would receive so much attention”, he confessed after his video reached millions of views.
He says that AI was key to summarizing equations and organizing his final exams. While some critics say that “your future doctor could graduate like this”, others argue that knowing how to use these tools is the new skill of the century.
In the end, Andre not only kept his degree, but now also has an offer to pursue graduate studies at Columbia University. What do you think, is it cheating or simply being more efficient?
Video:
UCLA graduate celebrates by showing off the ChatGPT he used for his final projects right before officially graduating 😭 pic.twitter.com/hZAvrY1fJk
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) June 18, 2025