{"id":1532,"date":"2026-05-18T13:40:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T13:40:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/?p=1532"},"modified":"2026-05-18T13:40:02","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T13:40:02","slug":"ex-google-ceo-eric-schmidt-booed-after-ai-remarks-at-arizona-commencement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/?p=1532","title":{"rendered":"Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt booed after AI remarks at Arizona commencement"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"0cb72fc1-6c12-4218-98d6-a93463a71bc7\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"a man looks ahead while wearing a headset microphone\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/f978d3f20a634ae27276047862cce2e5f1c4a6b9\/0_0_4000_2666\/master\/4000.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"309.9225\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Eric Schmidt, CEO of Relativity Space and former CEO of Google, during the America Business Forum in Miami on 6 November 2025.<\/span> Photograph: Eva Marie Uzcategui\/Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"0cb72fc1-6c12-4218-98d6-a93463a71bc7\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Eric Schmidt, CEO of Relativity Space and former CEO of Google, during the America Business Forum in Miami on 6 November 2025.<\/span> Photograph: Eva Marie Uzcategui\/Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt booed after AI remarks at Arizona commencement<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-15in7js\">\n<p>Pew research shows Americans are more worried than excited about AI as graduates voiced fears over jobs<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">A former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/google\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Google<\/a> CEO, Eric Schmidt, was met with students\u2019 boos at a university commencement address in Arizona on Sunday when he raised the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) and its effects.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/eric-schmidt\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Schmidt<\/a> \u2013 who led the tech giant for more than a decade, acquiring a multi-billion dollar fortune in the process \u2013 was speaking to as many as 10,000 graduating University of Arizona students when he addressed the impact of modern technology on society.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The topic struck a nerve of anxiety within the student body when he traced technology\u2019s evolution, through the laptop \u2013 which he said had \u201cdemocratized knowledge\u201d and led to prosperity \u2013 to the smartphone, the internet and social media.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cWe thought that we were adding stones to a cathedral of knowledge that humanity had been constructing for centuries, but the world we built turned out to be more complicated than we anticipated,\u201d Schmidt said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThe same tools that connect us also isolate us. The same platforms that gave everyone a voice \u2013 like you\u2019re using now \u2013 degraded the public square,\u201d he added, referring to the polarization within democracies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Schmidt said that information technologies, including AI, had unsettled young people. \u201cThat was not the plan, but it happened,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Shouting and jeers against Schmidt\u2019s talk started when he acknowledged fears that AI threatened to deprive people now entering the workforce of a future.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cI know what many of you are feeling about that,\u201d Schmidt said. \u201cI can hear you. There is a fear.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThere 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 are fractured, and that you are inheriting a mess that you did not create.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">He acknowledged that their fears are \u201crational\u201d and encouraged them to adapt and to shape how it will be used in the future \u2013 rather than for that shape them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThe question is not whether AI will shape the world. It will,\u201d Schmidt said. \u201cThe question is whether you will have shaped artificial intelligence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The student body\u2019s response to Schmidt\u2019s remarks comes days after students graduating from the University of Central Florida <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2026\/may\/12\/florida-students-boo-graduation-speaker-ai\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">booed<\/a> Gloria Caulfield, a real estate executive, when she spoke of \u201cthe rise of artificial intelligence is the next Industrial Revolution\u201d \u2013 and about \u201cliving in a time of profound change\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cWoop, what happened?\u201d she asked upon hearing the negative reaction. \u201cOK, I struck a chord.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">She acknowledged to applause that just a few years ago AI was not an issue. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a bipolar topic here, I see,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">To renewed boos, she said: \u201cAI capabilities are in the palm of our hands.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The Pew Research Center has found that about half of Americans felt the increased prevalence of AI in their daily lives made them feel \u201cmore concerned than excited\u201d. But those fears may be elevated in areas where technology is more easily adopted to replicate information technology work, reshaping that workforce.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">At the sciences-focused Carnegie Mellon University recently, Nvidia chief executive officer, Jensen Huang, told graduates there\u2019s no better time to \u201cbegin your life\u2019s work\u201d than now, even as companies lay off workers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Huang made the case that AI will be a net positive for humanity, said that it was closing the \u201ctechnology divide\u201d and maintained new opportunities would favor young people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cNow it\u2019s your time to realize your dreams, and the timing could not be more perfect,\u201d he said. While AI will automate tasks, \u201cchange every job\u201d and even eliminate some occupations, \u201cmany new jobs and entire new industries will be created,\u201d Huang said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cAI is not likely to replace you, but someone using AI better than you might.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">After Schmidt\u2019s mixed reception in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/arizona\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Arizona<\/a>, a spokesperson for the university said he\u2019d been invited for his \u201cextraordinary\u201d contributions to tech and innovation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US news<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/arizona\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Arizona<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/technology\/google\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Google<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/technology\/eric-schmidt\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Eric Schmidt<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/technology\/artificialintelligenceai\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">AI (artificial intelligence)<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Ex-Google%20CEO%20Eric%20Schmidt%20booed%20after%20AI%20remarks%20at%20Arizona%20commencement&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/18\/eric-schmidt-ai-university-commencement-speech-booed?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fmay%2F18%2Feric-schmidt-ai-university-commencement-speech-booed&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/may\/18\/eric-schmidt-ai-university-commencement-speech-booed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Eric Schmidt, CEO of Relativity Space and former CEO of Google, during the America Business Forum in Miami<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1534,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1532"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1532\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1535,"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1532\/revisions\/1535"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1534"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}