Graduates at several US universities have booed commencement speakers who promoted artificial intelligence, reflecting concerns that the technology threatens their job prospects. At Middle Tennessee State University, students jeered Scott Borchetta, CEO of Big Machine Records, after he told them to 'deal with' AI's impact on the music industry. 'It was a knife to the chest,' said graduate Jacob Pagel, who felt the speech dismissed students' anxieties.
Similar incidents occurred at the University of Central Florida and the University of Arizona, where graduates booed speakers who compared AI to the Industrial Revolution. A 2025 Harvard poll found most young Americans view AI as a threat to their careers, while a national NBC News survey showed only 26% of registered voters view AI positively.
Sarah Kreps, a Cornell professor, said tech executives are 'not reading the room' as students face a job market where AI is used to justify layoffs. Pagel, who studied political science, is now considering careers in healthcare or politics, where human interaction remains essential. He admitted using Grammarly, but said AI cannot replace face-to-face roles.
MTSU said in a statement it 'understands and remains compassionate about our students’ concerns'. PR expert Parry Headrick called such speeches a 'preventable PR disaster', urging executives to acknowledge fears rather than dismiss them.
