Eric Schmidt booed at commencement speech for praising AI

May 19, 2026

Eric Schmidt got booed at a college commencement speech for pushing AI on graduates, showing growing public backlash against the technology.

  • Schmidt told graduates AI will touch everything and urged them to "get on the rocket ship" without asking which seat.
  • The crowd booed loudly instead of clapping, with the speaker calling it one of the worst receptions he has heard.
  • The reaction shows young people are increasingly hostile to AI hype, especially from tech executives pitching it as inevitable.
  • It follows a similar negative reaction to another pro-AI commencement speech the week before.

Outlook: Expect more public pushback against AI boosterism as graduates worry the technology will replace the jobs they just trained for.

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