Graduates Express Concerns Over AI at University of Arizona Commencement
As graduates gathered for their commencement ceremony at the University of Arizona, the atmosphere became charged with discontent over the topic of artificial intelligence. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who delivered the commencement address, faced a vocal audience when discussing AI’s impact on society.
Schmidt began by recounting his doctoral research that contributed to the development of personal laptops. “We believed that connecting every human being on Earth to each other, and I really believe this, and all of the world’s information would be an unambiguous good,” he said, linking this technological evolution to the contemporary surge in AI.
The audience’s reactions were palpable, with boos echoing each time Schmidt mentioned AI’s role in transforming modern workplaces and personal life. “It will touch every profession, every classroom, every hospital, every laboratory, every person, and every relationship you have. I know what many of you are feeling about that, I can hear you,” Schmidt acknowledged, addressing the graduates’ apprehensions.
Recent surveys reflect these concerns. According to a ZipRecruiter poll of 1,500 class of 2026 graduates, half anticipate that AI will diminish entry-level job opportunities. Further, Gallup’s research highlights an 18-point drop in optimism towards AI among Gen-Z over the past year.
In response to these findings, Schmidt emphasized the importance of maintaining agency in shaping the future. “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 is fractured and that you are inheriting a mess that you did not create,” he said. Schmidt urged the graduates to remain proactive, as the trajectory of AI continues to be influenced in educational institutions, startups, government, and scientific research.
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