Commencement Speakers Face Backlash Due to A.I. Focus

Commencement ceremonies have recently been difficult for speakers attempting to inspire graduating students. These speakers often talk about the vast potential of artificial intelligence, but their messages receive mixed reactions from graduates.

Many students face a challenging job market and are burdened by significant student debt. Despite this, companies often use advances in A.I. as a reason to slow down hiring and even release employees. Graduates are understandably frustrated by the rhetoric of A.I. potentially eliminating jobs.

Speakers like Gloria Caulfield and Scott Borchetta have presented A.I. as a major future-shaping force. Caulfield spoke to University of Central Florida graduates about A.I. being the next industrial revolution, while Borchetta shared with Middle Tennessee State University students that A.I. is transforming production processes. These statements prompted boos from the audience.

Eric Schmidt, formerly of Google, faced a similar reaction at the University of Arizona. He acknowledged the graduates’ fears about their A.I.-influenced future and suggested they help shape this technology. However, this advice was met with skepticism.

Schmidt’s approach seems disconnected from the realities of today’s graduates. Young people are often labeled as lazy or too liberal but are instead worried about declining social mobility and an uncertain future. Graduates are concerned that the traditional path of college leading to a stable life is disappearing.

From the graduates’ viewpoint, being told their future is threatened by A.I. feels overwhelming. The belief that A.I. might automate many jobs creates frustration and anger among young people. M.I.T. Technology Review also notes a looming crisis in entry-level work, further adding to graduates’ worries.

There is a perception among some affluent individuals that college graduates may soon be expendable, perhaps replaced with bots. Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen suggested that bots do not present the challenges humans do, adding another layer of concern for students entering the workforce.