College Students 'Boo' Graduation Speeches Mentioning AI

College graduates have booed at least three commencement speeches after the speakers brought up artificial intelligence in their remarks.

The Details: Graduation speakers at the University of Central Florida, the University of Arizona and Middle Tennessee State University received boos and jeers from students after mentioning AI and its utility for the future. Glendale Community College in Arizona was also criticized after it used AI to read students' names aloud and the system malfunctioned during the ceremony.

'Tone Deaf': An opinion writer in Gizmodo (Lean Left bias) described ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt getting "booed into oblivion" at the University of Arizona. It noted Schmidt "vaguely empathized" with student fears about their future careers, but wrote that his praise for AI likely reminded students they would be "relegated to steerage on the great 'rocket ship' of AI." The writer argued students are aware they're heading into a "new employment hellscape" created by business tycoons like Schmidt, and suggested that the recent reactions could indicate a "prolonged negative reaction to AI." An opinion writer in ZeroHedge (Lean Right) wrote it was "understandable" that young people "hate AI" as they move through a "breaking system" and head into a job market offering "three paths: blue collar, AI master or entrepreneur." Newsmax (Right) and Associated Press (Left) cited students who described the speeches as "tone deaf" and "disrespectful."

Hypocritical: An analysis in Fast Company (Lean Left) argued that while the mention of AI during speeches lands "somewhere between cringe, out of touch and offensive", other observers see the boos as "specious" given that students "are one of AI's most active" users. It reported that professors are being "overrun" by students turning in AI-generated assignments and that universities have had to implement policies to deter its usage on exams. Fortune (Center) reported that college students were adopting AI "at a rapid clip," citing data that showed 57% of them using AI tools weekly in their coursework and 20% using it daily. It quoted professors who described this usage as Gen-Z's "cognitive dissonance." Fortune also wrote concerns over AI taking jobs have "begun to materialize as anecdotal evidence despite no widespread proof of AI markedly changing the labor market."

Other Possible Reasons: New York Post (Lean Right) offered an alternative reason for students booing Schmidt, reporting it could've been due to his recent sexual harassment claims. The Post wrote that "left-wing and feminist" student groups handed out flyers before the commencement ceremony detailing the allegations brought against Schmidt by his "much-younger" ex-girlfriend. Students were reportedly "urged to 'turn their backs to the stage'" and told to boo. The Post also cited sources close to Schmidt who said the boos came from a minority of students, while others thanked him for coming.

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