Eric Schmidt Booed by University of Arizona Graduates Over AI Remarks

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt was met with loud and sustained booing from graduating students during a commencement address at the University of Arizona on Friday, as his optimistic remarks about artificial intelligence collided with widespread anxieties about the future job market. The incident mirrored a similar protest earlier this month at the University of Central Florida, highlighting a growing generational rift over the technology's impact.

At the University of Arizona, vocal disapproval began before Schmidt took the stage and intensified as he described AI as a transformative force. Videos from the event show loud boos erupting when he stated that AI would touch every profession and become part of how work is done. Schmidt acknowledged the reaction, telling the audience he could hear them and that their fears were rational. He described a belief among young people that the future is already written, that the machines are coming, and that jobs are evaporating.

Schmidt urged graduates to engage with the technology, arguing that while AI will shape the world, they have the power to shape its development. His attempts to strike a hopeful tone, including telling students,...