Jeremy Scott’s speech at a college graduation ceremony began with an AI-written speech, which could have ended in boos.<\/p>\n
Instead, <\/strong>the fashion designer received roaring applause.<\/p>\n Scott’s commencement address at the Kansas City Art Institute on May 16 began predictably. He congratulated students on reaching the “threshold of a new beginning.” He said their “power is limitless.”<\/p>\n “Sounds kind of cliched, right? Doesn’t sound authentic, does it? Sounds like you’ve heard it before, right? It’s because it’s AI,” he revealed.<\/p>\n Then, Scott ripped up his AI-written speech to laughs and loud cheers from the audience. He told the students they don’t want the “AI overlords telling you what’s right and what’s wrong.”<\/p>\n “Because you know what AI can’t do? It can’t do what you do. It can’t have an original idea. It can’t even differentiate the difference between a good idea, a unique idea, and one that’s mediocre,” Scott said.<\/p>\n He said human artists have passion, something that sets them apart from AI.<\/p>\n “That’s what makes your role as an artist so much more urgent right now. In this space and time that we’re living, I argue that the artist is even more crucial than ever,” Scott said. “It’s because an artist doesn’t tell the truth. They decide what truth feels like. They’re a bender of reality while being a mirror to society.”<\/p>\n Scott might have already seen the reactions some other commencement speakers have received when they talked about AI.<\/p>\n Earlier this month, students booed former Google CEO Eric Schmidt<\/a> and real estate executive Gloria Caulfield<\/a> for their remarks about AI at two separate graduation ceremonies. Big Machine Records CEO Scott Borchetta<\/a> drew backlash at Middle Tennessee State University after he discussed AI’s impact on music and media.<\/p>\n Graduates are understandably uneasy about AI.<\/p>\n They are entering the workforce just as the technology is remaking entry-level jobs<\/a>. AI is also transforming how companies assess candidates and the specific skills they need. At least a dozen major companies have cited increased efficiency from AI as a factor in their decision to lay off employees<\/a> this year.<\/p>\n Even outside the workplace, many Americans are unexcited about the ever-increasing amount of interactions they have with AI in their day-to-day lives, according to a recent Pew Research Center study. And many Americans are resisting the large data centers required to power the technology.<\/p>\n