Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt was discussing artificial intelligence during a commencement speech at the University of Arizona. But the moment turned out to be embarrassing when students booed at him multiple times, reports NBC News. Schmidt, who led Google for a decade, faced this situation after warning graduates about the “mess” created by modern technology and artificial intelligence.
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The tech veteran began his remarks by reflecting on his own student days and the early rise of the computer—a device that was named Time magazine’s “Person of the Year” in 1982. He then traced its evolution from early computing systems to modern laptops and smartphones, and its widespread expansion through the internet and social media. While the computer connected people, “democratized knowledge” and lifted many out of poverty, it also carried a darker side, Schmidt said.
“The same platforms that gave everyone a voice, like you’re using now, also degraded the public square,” he said. “They rewarded outrage. They amplified our worst instincts. They coarsen the way we speak to each other, and that way, and in the way that we treat each other, is in the essence of a society.”
Schmidt then drew a parallel between artificial intelligence and the transformative impact of the computer — and was immediately met with boos.
'There is a fear...'
“I know what many of you are feeling about that. I can hear you,” Schmidt said, addressing the crowd as many continued to boo him. “There is a fear ... 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, and I understand that fear.” He acknowledged those fears as “rational,” but urged graduates to adapt and help shape how AI is used.
“If you’d let me make this point, please —” Schmidt said amid boos. “The point I’d like to make is choose a diversity of perspectives, including the perspective of the immigrant who has so often been the person who came to this country and made it better. America is at its best when we are the country that ambitious people want to come to. Let us not lose that.”
He concluded his speech by congratulating the class and offering them closing words. “The future is not yet finished. It is now your turn to shape it.”
Why students reacted sharply
Many graduates expressed concerns that AI could reduce entry-level job opportunities, especially as companies such as Klarna and IBM have already announced AI-related layoffs. A Pew Research study also found that half of Americans feel more concerned than excited about the growing role of artificial intelligence. Separately, some students had planned to protest Schmidt over past sexual assault allegations, which his attorney has described as “fabricated.”
University of Arizona spokesperson Mitch Zak said Schmidt was invited to deliver the commencement address because of his “extraordinary leadership and global contributions in technology, innovation and scientific advancement.”
“He helped lead Google’s rise into one of the world’s most influential technology companies and continues to advance research and discovery through major philanthropic and scientific initiatives, including partnerships that support important work at the University of Arizona,” Zak added.
Schmidt’s reception was not an isolated incident. Earlier this month, real estate executive Gloria Caulfield was similarly booed at a commencement speech at the University of Central Florida after mentioning the controversial technology. “The rise of artificial intelligence is the next industrial revolution,” she said as the crowd erupted in boos.
Schmidt has previously expressed concerns about the rapid evolution of AI, saying it is moving from a helpful assistant to a potential replacement for skilled programmers. He revealed that at leading AI research labs such as OpenAI and Anthropic, AI systems are already performing around 10 to 20 percent of programming work, and that this share is expected to rise quickly.
He has also argued that AI is “under-hyped rather than overhyped,” emphasizing that its biggest economic impact may come from automating corporate operations, not just coding tasks.
