US Graduates Boo Pro-AI Speakers as Only 26% of Voters View the Technology Positively
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 26
US Graduates Boo Pro-AI Speakers as Only 26% of Voters View the Technology Positively
7 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 26
Middle Tennessee State graduates jeered Big Machine CEO Scott Borchetta after he told them AI was "rewriting production" and that what they learned in year one "may already be obsolete."
The backlash reflected job fears among new graduates entering a market where AI is already cited to justify layoffs; a 2025 Harvard poll found most young Americans see AI as a threat to their careers.
Similar scenes unfolded at the University of Arizona and University of Central Florida, where students booed former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and other speakers comparing AI's rise to earlier technological revolutions.
At Glendale Community College, boos erupted when a new AI system reading graduates' names skipped some students entirely, prompting an onstage apology from the college president.
Public skepticism extends beyond campuses: an NBC News poll of 1,000 registered voters found 26% viewed AI positively, while 46% viewed it negatively.
Are universities failing graduates by not preparing them for an AI-dominated workforce?
As AI threatens office jobs, is a skilled trade now a safer bet than a college degree?
When AI can do the thinking, what uniquely human skills will actually be worth paying for?
2026 College Graduates Push Back: Rising Anti-AI Sentiment and Its Impact on the Job Market
Overview
This report highlights a growing wave of discontent among U.S. college graduates in 2026, who are increasingly uneasy about the pervasive role of artificial intelligence in their future careers and society. The emerging anti-AI sentiment reflects a generation grappling with the implications of advanced technology, driven by anxieties about job security, the risks of automation, and concerns over human value. Industry leaders, like Scott Borchetta, encourage graduates to view AI as a tool to be harnessed, implicitly acknowledging these underlying frustrations. The report explores how this unease shapes ongoing debates and responses across education, policy, and the workforce.