If there is one moment that deserves to be unfiltered, it is graduation. It is the final chapter—the culmination of years that broke, built, and tested students. And yet, some have chosen to let artificial intelligence play the song to capture it all.
A machine—something that has never felt pressure, never failed an exam, never questioned its worth—is now being trusted to tell the story it never lived.
An AI-generated graduation song may sound impressive at first. It may be structured, lyrical, even emotionally convincing. But, in reality, it is nothing more than a carefully assembled illusion—patterns borrowed, emotions simulated, and experiences fabricated. It does not remember the sleepless nights. It does not carry the weight of expectations. It does not understand what it means to almost give up and still choose to continue. And yet, it is still entrusted to a robot.
That is the problem.
Graduation is not just about sounding good; it is about being real. It is about telling a story, no matter how messy, imperfect, or unpolished it may be. When the school hands over that responsibility to AI, they are not just using the tool; they are surrendering their voice. They are reducing the years of struggle into something convenient, something replaceable, and something hollow.
And for what? Speed? Ease? A quick solution to avoid the effort of creating something meaningful?
Some may argue that AI is simply a tool, no different from any other technology. But that argument falls apart the moment the tool begins to replace the people it is supposed to assist. There is a line between support and substitution, and in this case, the line has clearly been crossed.
And perhaps that is the most unsettling part of all. The willingness to accept something artificial in place of something authentic reveals a dangerous shift in values. It clearly shows that we are becoming comfortable with shortcuts, even in moments that should demand reflection, effort, and sincerity. If we cannot even insist on authenticity in something as personal as a graduation, then, where do we draw the line?
This is not about rejecting technology. It is about knowing when its use is inappropriate, when it begins to strip away meaning instead of enhancing it. Graduation is not a deadline to meet. It is a story to be told. And stories like these should not be generated, because they must be lived, remembered, and expressed by those who experienced them.
Because at the end of the day, a song without a story is a song that was never lived and will never truly be felt.
Written by Emmanuel Tarroza, Insight PH
Emmanuel Tarroza, Insight PH is a dedicated campus journalist and contributor. Their insightful writing sparks meaningful conversations and keeps the community informed.
