University of Arizona students boo Eric Schmidt’s AI cheerleading

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt delivered the commencement address at the University of Arizona on Friday. And, as his speech veered into talk of AI, he was repeatedly drowned out by boos. AI is already a contentious topic, and it’s not surprising that those about to enter a ravaged job market feel particularly negative about it.

Schmidt acknowledged the anxiety, according to Business Insider, saying fears “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,” were “rational.” But Schmidt’s frustration was also palpable, as he squirmed behind the podium and asked the crowd to let him make his point.

Eventually, he told graduates, “When someone offers you a seat on the rocketship, you do not ask which seat, you just get on.” Such comments are hardly surprising from someone who just last year called AI “underhyped.” But it’s also just another example of Silicon Valley’s inability to read the room. Gloria Caulfield didn’t get the memo, either. Public opinion has turned increasingly against AI, but companies keep cramming it into every part of our lives, whether we want it or not.