Though college graduations usually consist of a speaker giving advice to students, one recent ceremony featured students giving the speaker their opinions \u2013 loudly.<\/p>\n
The University of Central Florida\u2019s 2026 graduating class booed as a real estate development executive spoke about how \u201cthe rise of artificial intelligence is the next Industrial Revolution\u201d and about \u201cliving in a time of profound change\u201d.<\/p>\n
The crowd of students was so loud that Gloria Caulfield paused, turned away from the podium and threw her hands up in the air.<\/p>\n
\u201cWoop, what happened?\u201d she asked, before letting out a nervous laugh: \u201cOK, I struck a chord. May I finish?\u201d<\/p>\n
As the crowd calmed down, Caulfield proceeded. \u201cOnly a few years ago, AI was not a factor in our lives.\u201d That seemed to cheer them up \u2013 and led to a raucous applause.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got a bipolar topic here, I see,\u201d Caulfield said, as she got back on track, for a third time: \u201cAI capabilities are in the palm of our hands,\u201d she said, before the crowd booed again. \u201cOh I love it, passion: let\u2019s go,\u201d she said playfully.<\/p>\n
Like a teacher scolding disruptive students, she continued: \u201cOK, I don\u2019t want any giggles when I say this. We have been through this before,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She segued into a comparison of the current graduates\u2019 plight to when she finished college as the internet started taking off. \u201cI know it sounds amusing, but at that time we had no idea how any of these technologies would impact the world and our lives,\u201d Caulfield said. \u201cThere were some of the same trepidations and concerns we are now facing, but ultimately it was a gamechanger for global economic development and the proliferation of new businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n
The crowd did not interrupt the rest of her speech, but the boos that rang through the arena echoed a very real source of anxiety that\u2019s taken hold of students across the country. Graduating college seniors are worried about how AI is already transforming some jobs, and could eventually replace others, altogether. The pressure to pick a major that leads to an AI-proof career<\/a> is high, students have said, as tech CEOs slash workforces<\/a> based on claims that AI can replace some jobs and boost efficiency at an unprecedented scale. Industries outside Silicon Valley don\u2019t seem immune either, as AI is affecting everything from graphic design<\/a> to Hollywood<\/a> and journalism<\/a>.<\/p>\n