Students boo former Google CEO for talking about AI, second incident in a week - 'There is a fear...'

Artificial Intelligence has become a hot topic at commencement speeches in America this year, and for exactly what you think. Students have been openly showing their displeasure with AI amid concerns that they are going to be left jobless because of it. CEOs across the world have been pushing for the use of AI, and clearly, students who are stepping into the world are not happy. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt was booed when he mentioned AI at the commencement address at the University of Arizona on Sunday. While speaking to as many as 10,000, he hit a nerve when he broached the topic that has left everyone in a tizzy. Schmidt acknowledged that AI could take away the future of those entering the workforce. As soon as he brought it up, students started jeering and booing. "I know what many of you are feeling about that. I can hear you. There 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 are fractured, and that you are inheriting a mess that you did not create.”

Gloria Caulfield received booed at University of Central Florida for calling AI next Industrial Revolution

He then told students that they would "help shape artificial intelligence". This is the second time in days that a speaker has received a similar response as soon as the topic of AI was brought up. Both times, it was clearly unplanned. At the University of Central Florida, Gloria Caulfield, a real estate executive, said, "The rise of artificial intelligence is the next Industrial Revolution", and no one in the crowd was happy. Students started booing Gloria, and she was taken aback. “Woop, what happened? OK, I struck a chord." She did not let it stop her from praising AI, as she added, "We’ve got a bipolar topic here, I see. AI capabilities are in the palm of our hands."

Jensen Huang's AI number at Carnegie Mellon

NVIDIA chief Jensen Huang spoke at Carnegie Mellon University recently and stated that AI will be a net positive for humanity and there’s no better time to “begin your life’s work” than now. He said this when companies freeze hirings and firing staff to push AI at workplace. “AI is not likely to replace you, but someone using AI better than you might," he said. While he was not booed for bringing it up, a viral video on social media from before his speech shows a group of students betting on the number of times Huang would mention AI. While several people gave a number, the one who said "37" won, as that was how many times Huang talked about AI.