Students keep booing AI at graduation speeches this year

"The incident was not an isolated one. The graduating class at Middle Tennessee University reacted similarly when Scott Borchetta, CEO at Big Machine Records, said, "AI is rewriting production as we sit here." When the crowd began to express their distaste, the speaker pushed back, saying, "Deal with it. Like I said, it's a tool." "We understand and remain compassionate about our students' concerns and questions about AI affecting their careers," a representative for Middle Tennessee University told Fast Company."

"It happened when Gloria Caulfield, vice president of strategic alliances for the Orlando-based company Tavistock, began telling the graduating class at the University of Central Florida's College of Arts and Humanities and its Nicholson School of Communication and Media that the "rise of artificial intelligence is the next industrial revolution." Instantly, the crowd erupted into boos that made the speaker take a pause. "OK, I struck a chord! May I finish?" Caulfield said in surprise."

""Scott Borchetta encouraged MTSU students to explore AI as a tool to enhance their knowledge and storytelling, and reminded them that human creativity will always be the most important thing, not the platform or system." Most recently, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt was booed on Sunday when he brought up AI during his speech at the University of Arizona."

Commencement speakers have faced anger and boos when mentioning artificial intelligence during graduation remarks. At the University of Central Florida, Gloria Caulfield told students that the rise of artificial intelligence is the next industrial revolution, prompting immediate boos and a pause. At Middle Tennessee State University, Scott Borchetta said, “AI is rewriting production as we sit here,” and the crowd reacted with visible distaste. He responded by saying to deal with it and that AI is a tool. The university stated it remains compassionate about student concerns and encouraged exploring AI to enhance knowledge and storytelling, while stressing that human creativity matters most. Eric Schmidt was also booed after bringing up AI at the University of Arizona.

Read at Fast Company