College graduation season, once dominated by platitudes about bright futures, is increasingly being defined by open hostility whenever artificial intelligence is praised from the podium.

Early flashpoints: Schmidt and the first boos

On May 16, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt delivered the commencement address at the University of Arizona. As his remarks turned to AI and its societal impact, "boos rang out" from graduates, growing louder when he mentioned fears that "the machines are coming" and "the jobs are evaporating."¹ Coverage noted that students saw his upbeat framing of AI as out of step with a "ravaged job market" and rational anxieties about their future.²

Similar scenes played out at other campuses. At the University of Central Florida, real-estate executive Gloria Caulfield called AI "the next industrial revolution" and was "immediately drowned out by boos" from arts and humanities graduates.³ At Middle Tennessee State University, music executive Scott Borchetta told students that "AI is rewriting production as we sit here," prompting jeers and his retort to "deal with it… Like I said, it's a tool."³

A pattern becomes a ritual

By mid‑May, outlets were describing a broader trend: "Gen Z's AI backlash is getting louder," with commencement speeches becoming a flashpoint for anger over job displacement and companies citing AI in layoffs.⁴ One analysis called it "the new college graduation ritual: booing AI," pointing to multiple ceremonies interrupted when speakers lauded the technology.³

Graduates and commentators framed the boos as a response to executives who praise AI while being "insulated" from its risks, highlighting a "level of arrogance and a disconnect" with students facing precarious employment.⁵

A different reception for an anti‑AI flourish

On the same day as Schmidt’s speech, fashion designer Jeremy Scott addressed graduates at the Kansas City Art Institute. He began with clichés, then revealed the text was written by AI, ripped up the pages to "roaring applause," and declared that AI "can't have an original idea" or the passion of human artists.⁶ Framing artists as "more crucial than ever" precisely because of AI, Scott aligned himself with student unease rather than industry optimism—and, unlike many executives, was cheered for it.⁶