In a commencement speech, former Google CEO aimed to inspire graduates about AI – but they reacted completely differently than perhaps expected. When he responded to the boos with AI agents and rockets, the atmosphere shifted even further.
Who was booed and why? At a graduation ceremony at the University of Arizona, Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, spoke. According to Tom’sHardware, he addressed thousands of graduates about technology and AI and received particularly loud boos when he portrayed AI in a positive light.
The audience did not react well to this at all. He was repeatedly interrupted by boos as soon as he spoke positively about AI. The situation felt so tense that at times he could hardly finish his thoughts.
Schmidt stated that students could today assemble a team of AI agents to help them with things they could never achieve alone. He compared this opportunity to getting a spot on a “Rocket Ship” and said, in essence: If such an opportunity is offered, one does not ask about the seat – one gets on. (Gizmondo)
Concerns and Fears
Where do the reactions come from? Many students are currently leaving university with a bad feeling: Entering the job market seems more difficult, and AI is often in the discussion.
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York shows in its data for the USA that young college graduates have recently been significantly more affected by unemployment and underemployment than the overall labor market. For the fourth quarter of 2025, 5.7% unemployment and 41.5% underemployment among young graduates were reported. Conditions were much worse at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic regarding entry opportunities.
A recent survey from the UK fits this: According to Guardian, many students believe that AI could cause job losses; more than half even expect worse consequences than a recession.
There are also indications in Germany as to why the AI topic makes students and graduates nervous: Young academics face a weaker job market while companies simultaneously examine which tasks AI can take over. (ZDF info)
Reactions from Discontent
Did Schmidt address the students’ concerns? Yes, at least partially. According to Tom’s Hardware, Schmidt paused at one point when the heckling grew louder. He said he could hear that there was fear and labeled the concern as rational
. However, Schmidt’s message remained the same: Artificial Intelligence “will shape the world”, and it is up to everyone else to steer this development. (via Youtube/404Media)
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang recently took a different approach, focusing on the opportunities presented by the AI boom. However, it was still not in a way that university graduates would desire.
According to Gizmondo and Tom’s Hardware, other graduation speeches have also been met with loud frustration from graduates.
At the University of Central Florida, Gloria Caulfield from the real estate sector was booed after she called AI the “next industrial revolution”. At Middle Tennessee State University, former music manager of Taylor Swift, Scott Borchetta, responded to boos with “Deal with it” when he said AI is reshaping production. (NBC News)
What do you think: Is Eric Schmidt right and one just needs to leverage AI correctly? Or do you believe that the current AI hype will eventually subside? Let us know in the comments.
The reactions show especially how tense the subject of AI currently is; especially for young people at the beginning of their careers. While tech managers speak of opportunities, many wonder what this means for their own job prospects. However, some remain a bit more relaxed: CEO of EA talks about AI, saying: No 16-year-old will create GTA 7 in their garage with it
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