“This sucks.” That’s what Alexander Rose Tyson told a TechCrunch reporter after listening to Gloria Caulfield’s commencement speech at the University of Central Florida this year.
Caulfield, CEO of Tavistock Development, was invited to inspire graduates. Her message was familiar: “The rise of artificial intelligence is the next industrial revolution” and “Only a few years ago, AI was not a factor in our lives.” But this year, the audience responded not with enthusiasm but with boos.
More than one backlash
The University of Arizona invited Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO, who delivered a more Silicon Valley-style speech: “You will help shape artificial intelligence” and “You can now assemble a team of AI agents.” But the audience included graduates who had been receiving emails saying “this position is on hold.” Such words grated on them.
The only speech that received positive feedback was Jensen Huang’s at Carnegie Mellon University. The reason may be simple: CMU students in computer science and robotics are the ones who will actually build AI, not be replaced by it.
One data point explains the backlash
Gallup recently quantified this sentiment: In 2022, 75% of Americans aged 15-34 thought it was a good time to find a job. By 2026, that figure had dropped to 43% — a 32-percentage-point decline in four years.
Two things happened in between: layoffs (tech companies cut 80,000 jobs in Q1, about half attributed to AI) and the shrinking of entry-level positions. Stanford’s 2026 AI Index shows that job postings for 22-year-old programmers decreased 20% year-over-year.
Graduates are not stupid. They know AI is important — but they are uncertain whether they can earn their first paycheck in the next five years.
Brian Merchant’s verdict
Brian Merchant, author of Blood in the Machine, called AI “the cruel new face of hyper-scaling capitalism.” This is the real feeling of this generation toward AI, something the “tool neutrality” argument cannot explain.
Should commencement speeches still mention AI?
If you are giving a commencement speech this year, here is some advice:
- Don’t say “AI is the new industrial revolution.” They have heard it 200 times; the 201st will only get you booed.
- Don’t say “AI is just a tool; it depends on how you use it.” Graduates are sensitive to such PR talk.
- If you must mention AI, be specific: talk about a senior who used AI to build something real or solve a real problem.
What not to do: portray AI as an abstract, haloed force that will inevitably make the world better. This generation no longer buys it.
At commencement ceremonies, speakers can usually feel the emotional temperature of the audience. If a year ago AI could still win applause, this year it draws boos. This sentiment will spread to younger age groups.
The next truly troublesome group for AI companies is not regulators, but Gen Z, who are already starting to choose jobs.
Sources: If you're giving a commencement speech in 2026, CocoLoop, maybe don't mention AI (TechCrunch); Stanford AI Index 2026