University of Arizona Students Boo Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt After Discussing AI in Commencement Speech
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University of Arizona students loudly booed former Google CEO Eric Schmidt during the university's main commencement ceremony Friday night as he praised artificial intelligence and urged graduates to help shape its future.
The boos began as Schmidt, invited as the 2026 commencement speaker, linked artificial intelligence and automation to rapid changes in the job market facing new graduates at the Tucson campus.
He told students that AI was already transforming the global workforce and affecting entry-level positions, a message that drew sustained jeers from sections of the crowd. Multiple clips posted on social media show boos rising as Schmidt described AI's role in the economy and predicted its continued expansion, according to Business Insider.
At one point, Schmidt said, "The question is not whether AI will shape the world. It will," prompting another wave of boos from students seated on the field and in the stands.
He acknowledged the audience's anxiety, calling fears about "machines taking over, jobs disappearing, the climate crisis, political division, and the burden of inheriting a chaotic situation "rational" but he urged graduates to work on steering the technology rather than rejecting it.
Social media posts from attendees described the crowd as growing louder whenever Schmidt emphasized AI's promise or described it as an opportunity.
Student organizers had signaled ahead of the ceremony that they would protest Schmidt's appearance, citing both his support for large-scale AI projects and a sexual assault and harassment lawsuit filed against him in November 2025 by former partner Michelle Ritter, which he denies, AZ Central reported.
Campus advocacy groups circulated a petition calling for Schmidt's removal as speaker and for the university to cut ties with his private company, Schmidt Sciences, gathering more than 1,200 signatures before graduation.
Flyers distributed before the event urged attendees to boo or turn their backs when he took the stage, arguing the university was giving a high-profile platform to someone accused of abuse.
The University of Arizona has said it selected Schmidt to recognize his "extraordinary leadership and global contributions in technology, innovation and scientific advancement," including his role in Google's rise during the 2000s.
University officials did not publicly indicate any plan to change speakers after the petition drive, and the ceremony proceeded as scheduled at Arizona Stadium on Friday evening, as per NBC News.
Originally published on vcpost.com
