Boos rang out during the University of Arizona’s graduation ceremony on Friday as former Google CEO Eric Schmidt spoke about a topic that is maybe a little sensitive for those about to enter the workforce: AI.
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While other speakers received cheers and applause, Schmidt’s speech about the impact of modern technology on society struck a nerve.
“We thought that we were adding stones to a cathedral of knowledge that humanity had been constructing for centuries, but the world we built turned out to be more complicated than we anticipated,” Schmidt said, referring to his own contributions to modernization. “The same tools that connect us also isolate us. The same platforms that gave everyone a voice — like you’re using now — degraded the public square.”
Schmidt added, “In the years after I graduated, no one sat down and resolved to build technology that would polarize democracies and unsettle a generation of young people. That was not the plan, but it happened.”
Students’ boos grew louder when he mentioned AI.
“I know what many of you are feeling about that. I can hear you. There is a fear,” Schmidt said, stopping briefly as the shouts intensified. “There is a fear in your generation that the future has already been written, that the machines are coming, that the jobs are evaporating, that the climate is breaking, that politics are fractured, and that you are inheriting a mess that you did not create.”
Schmidt called those fears “rational,” but encouraged them to adapt to the technology and become involved in shaping how it will be used in the future.
“The question is not whether AI will shape the world. It will,” Schmidt said. “The question is whether you will have shaped artificial intelligence.”
AI is transforming the global workforce, from how companies screen potential candidates to the types of skills companies are seeking. Despite young people increasingly adopting AI in their daily lives, surveys show they’re worried about what it means for their careers.
The tech’s ability to automate many rote tasks has led some companies to cut back on hiring for entry-level positions. Companies like Klarna and IBM have already conducted AI-related layoffs.
A recent Pew Research Center study found that about half of Americans felt the increased prevalence of AI in their daily lives made them feel “more concerned than excited.”
Some students also planned ahead of the ceremony to boo Schmidt over sexual assault allegations made against him last year. An attorney for Schmidt told Business Insider that the accusations were “fabricated.” In March, a judge ordered the suit settled through arbitration.
A spokesperson for the University of Arizona said the school invited Schmidt because of his “extraordinary” contributions to tech and innovation.
“He helped lead Google’s rise into one of the world’s most influential technology companies and continues to advance research and discovery through major philanthropic and scientific initiatives, including partnerships that support important work at the University of Arizona,” the spokesperson said.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang also gave a graduation speech last week at Carnegie Mellon. He struck a more positive tone, arguing that AI would create more opportunities for young people to build anything they wanted. “AI is not likely to replace you,” he said, acknowledging anxieties about the job market. “But someone using AI better than you might.”
