USC is using a new AI tool to ensure students names will be pronounced correctly when they walk the stage to graduate next weekend.
Students have submitted the pronunciation of their names for graduation using software from a company called tassel.
The technology uses AI software to generate the names spoken at graduations, Jess DuBridge, the marketing coordinator for Tassel stated in an email.
The company aims to make the graduation experience better for students.
“Our intention is to provide accurate name announcements at scale, eliminating mispronunciations to ensure that each graduate is recognized appropriately,” Jess DuBridge, the marketing coordinator for Tassel, said.
The system allows graduates to review a recording of their name pronunciation. If the name is pronounced incorrectly, then the system attempts to regenerate the name three times before the student can submit a recording of the pronunciation of their name, DuBridge said.
The product manager for Tassel, Deepthi Peri, said on the Liminal Podcast that she has a personal connection to the company because her name was pronounced incorrectly at her graduation.
“The product that we built here at Tassel is so that the graduates can themselves listen to the name while they register for the commencement and confirm that, 'Hey, this is exactly how I would like my name pronounced,'” Peri said.
Students who've had their names mispronounced in the past tried out the system in hopes it wouldn't happen this upcoming ceremony. One of those students is Eden Wellons, a fourth-year neuroscience student.
Wellons said the process was really quick and easy for her.
Wellons said in high school, she had to go in person to tell the school how her name is pronounced, and that the process Tassel provided was much easier since she could do it online.
When Wellons used the software, she was able to get it to say her name correctly to her.
Tamia Turner, a fourth-year art studio and art history student, also said she had a good experience using the software.
“I liked it because as someone who's had their name mispronounced, it was really cool and helpful to see the pronunciation ... so you know if they're saying it right,” Turner said.
Turner said when she listened to how the software originally had her first name, it was correct, which shocked her because her first name is typically pronounced incorrectly. But her middle name, Lashon, was incorrectly pronounced, so she submitted the correct pronunciation, and the system got it right.
Kelsey Kabiri, a fourth-year psychology student, said she likes how the system repeated her name back to her and gave her the chance to correct it.
"So I just think it's really cool having something say it back to you because you kind of know what it's actually going to be," Kabiri said.
Peri said on the podcast that the software intends to give students the confidence to walk across the stage knowing their name will be pronounced as they want.
“It's a big moment, and you really want to remember that the right way,” Peri said.
Neha Murjani, a fourth-year public health student who has had her name mispronounced in the past, said she hopes this is the case.
“If my name is mispronounced on graduation day, that would definitely be very upsetting,” Murjani said.
Murjani used the software and used her voice to clarify the pronunciation of her name. She said that the software had AI pronounce her name, and since it wasn't correct, she was able to record it herself.
DuBridge said Tassel was used by 150,000 graduates last year, and it earned record-high satisfaction scores.
“We have received immense demand and positive feedback from our customers and students regarding this product,” DuBridge said.
Turner said she thinks this software will be a relief to students who may have anxiety before graduation.
“I think it's very important because we're a diverse university, and everyone has different names, and I think it means a lot to the family and to the student if the university gets their name pronounced correctly,” Turner said.