Graduates Turn Tables on Commencement Speakers Praising AI

University graduates are turning tables on corporate executives who praise AI during their commencement ceremonies, loudly booing and heckling public figures like former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. In a series of viral videos, graduates have stood up to speakers who tout AI as inevitable and necessary, instead expressing frustration with the technology’s potential to displace jobs in an increasingly unstable world. The outbursts come at a time when young people are entering the workforce facing bleak prospects and rising unemployment rates. Penny Oliver, a recent graduate, echoed sentiments of her peers, saying “They deserve everything they’re getting” after watching Schmidt praise AI during his commencement speech. Others have taken to social media to share their own stories of struggle in the face of automation and artificial intelligence.