University of Arizona students boo Eric Schmidt's AI cheerleading during commencement
TL;DR
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt delivered the commencement address at the University of Arizona on Friday and was repeatedly drowned out by boos the moment his speech turned to AI. Graduates entering a battered job market are not exactly hopeful about the technology, and Schmidt's framing landed badly. He acknowledged, according to Business Insider, that fears around vanishing jobs, climate breakdown and fractured politics were 'rational'. Still, his frustration with the crowd's reaction was palpable.
Nauti's Take
Real signal: The booing shows young talent no longer wants AI sold as salvation — that is healthy skepticism and a useful corrective to the hype wave. Risk: Reflexive rejection can also lead students to undervalue AI literacy, which is becoming a job-market requirement.
For universities a cue to teach AI soberly and critically — neither as gospel nor as the enemy.
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