Microsoft, like, totally gets why students are booing AI-pilled graduation speakers
Across spring 2026 commencements, new college graduates booed and heckled speakers who praised artificial intelligence, including former Google CEO Eric Schmidt at the University of Arizona. Microsoft vice chair and president Brad Smith responded with a blog post running more than 3,000 words, calling the reaction a wake-up call for the tech industry and asking graduates to adapt rather than resist. Critics note the essay offered sympathy and historical analogies but no concrete commitments on jobs, retraining, or the pace of AI rollout.
Key Takeaways
- The booing is a "powerful wake-up call," the company says.
A slew of viral clips show college graduates booing commencement speakers who mention AI.
- Microsoft would like everyone to talk it out.
- It's the wake-up call for the adults in the room!
"Graduating students who grimace or even boo at references to AI are telling us what we need to hear, that it's time once again to raise the bar," Smith writes.
- "You're in a unique position to have a positive impact.
- That they needed reminding in the first place is the whole problem.
Stats & Key Facts
- #by Mia Sato Jun 10, 2026, 5:45 PM UTC Link Share Gift Mia Sato is features writer with five years of experience covering the companies that shape technology and the people who use their tools.
The booing is a "powerful wake-up call," the company says. A slew of viral clips show college graduates booing commencement speakers who mention AI. News AI Entertainment Microsoft, like, totally gets why students are booing AI-pilled graduation speakers A slew of viral clips show college graduates booing commencement speakers who mention AI.
A slew of viral clips show college graduates booing commencement speakers who mention AI. by Mia Sato Jun 10, 2026, 5:45 PM UTC Link Share Gift Mia Sato is features writer with five years of experience covering the companies that shape technology and the people who use their tools. New college graduates around the country have been booing and heckling commencement speakers who hype up AI .
Microsoft would like everyone to talk it out. In a blog post running more than 3,100 words, Microsoft vice chair and president Brad Smith addressed the recent spate of viral clips from graduation ceremonies, like former Google CEO Eric Schmidt getting an earful at the University of Arizona , or the speaker in Florida who seemed surprised when students booed at the mention of AI as "the next industrial revolution." The videos speak to a broader societal sentiment around AI - the technology is deeply unpopular even as technology companies insert it everywhere without consent.
For more details please read the original article at The Verge AI.
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