University of Arizona students boo Eric Schmidt’s AI speech at commencement
▼ Summary
– Eric Schmidt was booed during his University of Arizona commencement speech when discussing AI, reflecting graduate anxiety about a tough job market.
– Schmidt acknowledged graduates’ fears about job loss, climate change, and political division as “rational.”
– Some booing also stemmed from sexual assault allegations made against Schmidt last year.
– Schmidt told graduates, “When someone offers you a seat on the rocketship, you do not ask which seat, you just get on.”
– The incident illustrates Silicon Valley’s failure to recognize growing public opposition to AI being forced into daily life.
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt faced a chorus of boos during his commencement speech at the University of Arizona on Friday, particularly as he pivoted to discussing artificial intelligence. The negative reaction highlights how AI anxiety is intensifying, especially among graduates who are stepping into a volatile job market.
Schmidt acknowledged the tension, according to Business Insider, describing graduates’ fears as “rational.” He listed their concerns: “that the machines are coming, that the jobs are evaporating, that the climate is breaking, that politics are fractured, and that you are inheriting a mess that you did not create.” Still, his discomfort was visible as he shifted behind the podium and pleaded with the audience to hear him out.
Beyond the AI backlash, some students also directed their boos at Schmidt over sexual assault allegations that surfaced against him last year.
At one point, Schmidt told the crowd, “When someone offers you a seat on the rocketship, you do not ask which seat, you just get on.” That line is hardly a surprise from a man who, just last year, described AI as “underhyped.” But it serves as yet another reminder of Silicon Valley’s persistent disconnect from public sentiment. Gloria Caulfield, a recent AI advocate, apparently missed that memo as well. Public opinion has soured on AI, yet tech companies continue forcing it into nearly every aspect of daily life, regardless of whether people want it.
(Source: The Verge)
