“The emergence of AI is the next industrial revolution,” said Gloria Caulfield, a real estate executive, to recent graduates of arts, humanities, and communication at the University of Central Florida. The response? Many boos. Caulfield turned to the organizers: “What’s going on?” she asked. She looked back at the young people in the audience: “I’ve struck a nerve, can I finish?” And she continued: “A few years ago AI was not a factor in our lives,” she added. Then they applauded her and Caulfield smiled relieved. The video of her surprise went viral.
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@abcnews A commencement speech at the University of Central Florida drew a strong reaction as speaker Gloria Caulfield made comments about artificial intelligence that prompted audible boos from graduates.
♬ original sound – ABC News – ABC News
The boos against AI in Florida were not the only ones this weekend at American universities. Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, was in charge of delivering the graduation speech at the University of Arizona before thousands of students. Schmidt said phrases that young people have heard a thousand times: “The question is not whether AI will shape the world. It will. The question is whether you will help shape AI,” he said. And he continued: “AI will affect everything, whichever path you take.” And he was booed.
The reasons for the boos will be varied: from fear of an uncertain future to fatigue from the evangelizing spiel about AI. Precisely at the University of Central Florida there was a recent controversy over a class called “The Art of AI” for arts students at that academic center. One student said he pays tuition to learn skills, not to use generative AI that avoids employing those skills.
This trend is seen in recent surveys. Over the past year, according to a Gallup survey published in April in the US, Generation Z’s (born between the late 90s and early 2010s) sentiment towards AI has become more negative. The percentage of young people excited about AI has dropped 14 points, to 22%, while those angry have increased nine points, to 31%. Anxiety about AI remains stable at 42%.
In a global AI survey by Pew Research, the generation consistently most worried about AI are those over 50 years old. And the least worried are the youngest, between 18 and 34 years old. This pattern holds with a large percentage difference of more than 24 points between young and older people in countries such as Greece, Brazil, Argentina, Italy, or Japan. Even in Spain, young people are 21 points less worried than older people. The United States is, however, the country in the world where this difference is smallest: young people are almost as worried as older people about the emergence of AI in everyday life.
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@0_emmams_0 cannot believe I saw this happen in real time #fyp #mtsu #graduation #ai #taylorswift
♬ original sound – emma moore
In another graduation speech, music industry executive Scott Borchetta also had to defend himself against some shouts during his speech at Middle Tennessee State University: “This industry will change. It has changed more in the last 10 years than in the previous 50. Streaming rewrote the economy. Social networks rewrote the way of discovery. AI is rewriting production while we are sitting here,” and some whistles came. Borchetta went off his prepared speech: “I know, accept it. As I told you, it’s a tool. Either you listen to me now or you’ll pay for it later. Do something. The things you learned here in the first year may already be obsolete.”
In the case of millionaire Schmidt, the boos were already expected. In 2025 a former lover accused him of rape and he also appears in the Epstein files. University organizations had distributed flyers to encourage the whistles. As if that were not enough, at the historic rival, Arizona State University, the graduation godfather was actor Harrison Ford, who was given an honorary doctorate for his fight for ecological preservation.
@karenv1403 The only time I’ll say that ASU was better at something 🤩 #uofa #graduation #commencement
♬ original sound – Karen V💛
A university spokesperson told a local media outlet that the invitation is due to “recognition of his extraordinary leadership and global contributions” and that “he continues to drive research and discovery through significant philanthropic and scientific initiatives, including collaborations supporting key projects at the University of Arizona.”
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