Generational rejection of AI? Why are university students booing big tech at graduation ceremonies?

“The rise of AI is the next industrial revolution,” Gloria Caulfield, a real estate executive, told recent graduates of arts, humanities, and communication at the University of Central Florida. The response? A chorus of boos. Caulfield turned to the organizers: “What happened?” she asked. She looked back at the young people in the audience: “Ok, I’ve struck a chord, may I finish?” And she continued: “Only a few years ago, AI wasn’t a factor in our lives,” she added. And then they applauded, and Caulfield smiled with relief. The video of her bewilderment went viral.

The booing of AI in Florida wasn’t the only such incident at American universities over the weekend. Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, was presiding over the commencement ceremony at the University of Arizona before thousands of students. Schmidt uttered phrases that young people have heard a thousand times before: “The question isn’t whether AI will shape the world. It will. The question is whether you will help shape AI,” he said. He continued: “AI will affect everything, whichever path you choose.” And he was booed.

The reasons for the jeers will be varied: from fear of an uncertain future to weariness with the evangelical rhetoric surrounding AI. Just recently, at the University of Central Florida, there was controversy over a class called “Art of AI” for art students. One student argued that he pays tuition to learn skills, not to use a generative AI that would prevent him from then using those skills.

This trend is reflected in recent polls. Over the past year, according to a Gallup survey published in April in the U.S., Generation Z’s sentiment toward AI has become more negative. The percentage of young people enthusiastic about AI has fallen 14 points to 22%, while those angry about it have risen nine points to 31%. Anxiety about AI remains stable at 42%.

In a Pew Research global survey on AI, the generation most consistently concerned about the technology is those aged over 50. Those least concerned are the youngest, aged between 18 and 34. This pattern holds true, with a significant percentage difference of more than 24 points between younger and older generations in countries like Greece, Brazil, Argentina, Italy, and Japan. The United States, however, is the country where this difference is smallest: young people are almost as concerned as older generations about the emergence of AI in everyday life.

In another commencement address, music industry executive Scott Borchetta also had to defend himself against some heckling during his speech at Middle Tennessee State University: “This industry will change. It’s changed more in the last 10 years than in the 50 years prior. Streaming rewrote the economics. Social media rewrote the discovery model. AI is rewriting production while we sit here,” he said, eliciting some boos. Borchetta then went off-script: “I know, accept it. Like I said, it’s a tool. Either you can hear me now or you can pay me later. Do something. The things you learned here in your first year may already be obsolete.”

In the case of Schmidt, the booing was already anticipated. In 2025, a former lover accused him of rape, and he also appears in the Epstein files. University organizations had distributed leaflets encouraging the booing. To make matters worse, at their historic rival, Arizona State University, the graduation sponsor was actor Harrison Ford, who was being awarded an honorary doctorate for his environmental activism.

A university spokesperson told a local media outlet that Schmidt’s invitation was extended due to “recognition of his extraordinary leadership and global contributions” and because “he continues to drive research and discovery through important philanthropic and scientific initiatives, including collaborations that support key projects at the University of Arizona.”

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