Graduation Day Reveals a Nation Split on AI
TL;DR
Graduation speakers nationwide frame AI as both promise and peril, triggering boos, cheers, and debate as graduates weigh jobs, democracy, and creativity. Eric Schmidt urges grads to shape AI, Fareed Zakaria stresses human intelligence, and others—from Steve Wozniak and Ed Bastian to Conan O’Brien, Jeremy Scott, Magic Johnson, and Ronny Chieng—offer mixed takes, illustrating a divided view of AI’s role in the Class of 2026’s future.
- Cheers, jeers, and laughs: The speeches about AI that drew strong responses from 2026 grads Business Insider
- US students on why they booed their pro-AI graduation speakers: ‘They’re not reading the room’ The Guardian
- Student commencement boos are a sign of wider AI woes NBC News
- As students protest artificial intelligence, Pitt professor cautions: ‘We cannot delay the AI adoption’ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
- Why are more young people angry about AI? Researcher says there's been a "meaningful shift" with Gen Z. CBS News
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