AI optimists have been reminded that not everyone sees the technology as a force for good.
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A speaker was booed onstage after saying, “AI is the next industrial revolution” at the University of Central Florida’s spring commencement on Saturday.
“What happened? OK, I struck a chord,” said Gloria Caulfield, the speaker and Vice President of real estate firm Strategic Alliances for Tavistock Development company, upon hearing the boos.
“Only a few years ago, AI was not a factor in our lives,” Caulfield continued. This time, she was met with cheers from the crowd.
The reaction to the speech highlights a growing disconnect between proponents of AI and those who feel they have gotten the short end of the AI stick. Since the start of this year, at least 12 major companies that have cut their workforces have cited AI as a reason for layoffs. One recent poll indicated that some young Americans see the technology as a threat to their job prospects.
Caulfield and the University of Central Florida did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“Being an optimist here, AI, alongside human intelligence, has the potential to help us solve some of humanity’s greatest problems,” Caulfield went on to say in the speech.
“Many of you in this graduating class will play a role in making this happen,” she added.
Her words echo Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s 2026 Commencement speech at Carnegie Mellon University on Sunday, in which he said AI will bring new opportunities for young people.
Caulfield’s speech was given to graduating students from the College of Arts and Humanities and the Nicholson School of Communication and Media.
Some users on social media say this is why it might have hit a deeper nerve.
One user on X wrote, “expecting students bankrupted by their education to celebrate the thing that’s about to make their degree worthless is the final boss of tone deaf.”
“Shocker. Graduates dont love AI as much as the boomers using it to replace their jobs,” another user on X wrote.
Some key business and tech figures, such as Anthropic president Daniela Amodei and Netflix cofounder Reed Hastings, have said AI will make humanities majors more valuable.
A renewed focus on soft skills in the AI age, particularly critical thinking, may make humanities majors more attractive to some employers.
Caulfield appears to have hinted at this with her closing remarks, where she said, “Genuine and authentic communication skills are strengths that are required regardless of the direction of your career or where this next industrial revolution takes us.”
