Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt is booed by graduates during a commencement speech at the University of Arizona after he mentions artificial intelligence. Multiple outlets report that students repeatedly heckle and drown out parts of his address when he talks about AI, with the boos increasing during those comments. NBC News and BBC News describe the interruptions as happening while he discusses AI during the ceremony. Business Insider and India Today specifically note that the jeers occur as Schmidt speaks about AI at the Friday graduation event.
Some coverage also links the crowd reaction to prior controversy around his selection as a commencement speaker. The New York Post and the Daily Mail mention allegations involving sex harassment or misconduct raised by Schmidt’s much-younger former girlfriend, and they describe the booing as part of wider backlash. Breitbart similarly frames the event as both booing related to AI remarks and as connected to the earlier allegations, while The Verge focuses on the AI-related backlash and students’ anxiety about the technology’s effects on jobs and careers.
Overall, sources agree the booing centers on Schmidt’s AI remarks during the University of Arizona commencement and reflects student dissatisfaction about AI’s impact.
