{"id":42529,"date":"2026-05-18T12:36:51","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T12:36:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/42529\/"},"modified":"2026-05-18T12:36:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T12:36:51","slug":"let-me-make-this-point-please-former-google-ceo-eric-schmidt-booed-by-university-of-arizona-students-heres-what-he-said-on-ai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/42529\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Let me make this point, please…’: Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt booed by University of Arizona students. Here’s what he said on AI"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former Google<\/a> CEO Eric Schmidt<\/a> was discussing artificial intelligence<\/a> during a commencement speech at the University of Arizona<\/a>. 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 \u201cmess\u201d created by modern technology and artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n

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The tech veteran began his remarks by reflecting on his own student days and the early rise of the computer\u2014a device that was named Time magazine\u2019s \u201cPerson of the Year\u201d 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, \u201cdemocratized knowledge\u201d and lifted many out of poverty, it also carried a darker side, Schmidt said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe same platforms that gave everyone a voice, like you\u2019re using now, also degraded the public square,\u201d he said. \u201cThey 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ETLive EventsSchmidt then drew a parallel between artificial intelligence and the transformative impact of the computer \u2014 and was immediately met with boos.
‘There is a fear…’\u201cI know what many of you are feeling about that. I can hear you,\u201d Schmidt said, addressing the crowd as many continued to boo him. \u201cThere 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.\u201d He acknowledged those fears as \u201crational,\u201d but urged graduates to adapt and help shape how AI is used.
\u201cIf you\u2019d let me make this point, please \u2014\u201d Schmidt said amid boos. \u201cThe point I\u2019d 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.\u201d
He concluded his speech by congratulating the class and offering them closing words. \u201cThe future is not yet finished. It is now your turn to shape it.\u201dWhy students reacted sharplyMany 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 \u201cfabricated.\u201d<\/p>\n

University of Arizona spokesperson Mitch Zak said Schmidt was invited to deliver the commencement address because of his \u201cextraordinary leadership and global contributions in technology, innovation and scientific advancement.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe helped lead Google\u2019s rise into one of the world\u2019s 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,\u201d Zak added.<\/p>\n

Schmidt\u2019s 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. \u201cThe rise of artificial intelligence is the next industrial revolution,\u201d she said as the crowd erupted in boos.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

He has also argued that AI is \u201cunder-hyped rather than overhyped,\u201d emphasizing that its biggest economic impact may come from automating corporate operations, not just coding tasks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt was discussing artificial intelligence during a commencement speech at the University of Arizona.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":42530,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[24,3336,25,25243,25714,25952,25953,132,1429,25951,4982],"class_list":["post-42529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-google","tag-ai","tag-ai-impact","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-eric-schmidt","tag-eric-schmidt-booed","tag-eric-schmidt-former-google-ceo","tag-eric-schmidt-speech","tag-google","tag-google-ai","tag-public-sentiment-on-ai","tag-university-of-arizona"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42529","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42529"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42529\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}