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- Eric Schmidt is the latest AI advocate to get booed by students
- The University of Arizona class of 2026 weren't impressed by his AI remarks
- There's been a growing backlash to the tech from graduates
Less than a week after University of Florida students booed real estate executive Gloria Caulfield for mentioning AI at their commencement speech, ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt has been given the same treatment for the same reason at the University of Arizona.
"You will help shape artificial intelligence," seems to be the line that the students took the most umbrage at, as per The Verge, though Schmidt also acknowledged the worries and fears that come along with AI — including significant changes in the jobs market.
With Caulfield's address, it was the "artificial intelligence is the next industrial revolution" line that got the loudest boos, while The Register reports on a similar reaction to mentions of AI at the Middle Tennessee State University by record producer Scott Borchetta.
It seems like the graduating class of 2026 really aren't ready to hear about the benefits of AI at the moment, and are much more concerned about an AI apocalypse arriving — a worry driven by a rise in deepfakes, hallucinations, energy shortages, and out-of-control agentic bots.
An 'insane message' to deliver
Former CEO Of Google Receives Massive Backlash For Praising AI At Graduation from r/singularity
Most of the online reaction to Schmidt's speech was negative. "Learn to read the room," advised one Redditor, while another described it as an "insane message" to deliver to new graduates who are being told that AI might take up all the jobs they're about to apply for.
For others, it's not that AI is inherently bad as a technology, but rather that AI companies and regulators aren't doing enough to help those who will be negatively affected by it. There's a real concern that the rich will get richer and leave everyone else behind.
We're at an interesting crunch point where we've got AI companies increasingly hyping up the technology, while many businesses struggle to use it effectively, and those who think they may be displaced by AI continue to rail against it.
As for Schmidt's former company, Google, it's hosting its annual I/O show later today, and there should be a lot more AI packed into the announcements: if you want to hear what the future holds (and cheer or boo accordingly), you can follow along online.
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