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Commencement speaker shocked by graduating class's reaction to AI ...
00:29A graduating class had a harsh reaction to their commencement speaker as she acknowledged the significance of AI.Speaking at the University of Central Florida’s spring semester graduation ceremony on Friday (8 May), Gloria Caulfield, the Vice President of Strategic Alliances for real estate firm Tavistock Development, discussed the rise of AI.After labelling it the “next industrial revolution”, students began to boo her. A confused-looking Caulfield later stated that“only a few years ago, AI was not a factor in our lives,” which then drew cheers from the crowd.Up next
A commencement speaker who praised AI was booed at humanities ...
Gloria Caulfield, pictured here, turned away from the crowd and asked, "What happened?" upon hearing the boos. Screenshot from the University of Central Florida's YouTube livestream. 2026-05-12T12:30:03.226Z Gloria Caulfield's speech at the University of Central Florida's spring commencement hit a nerve. After Caulfield said AI is the next industrial revolution, a crowd of graduates booed. The reaction to the speech revealed a growing divide between tech optimism and AI anxiety. AI optimists have been reminded that not everyone sees the technology as a force for good. A speaker was booed onstage after saying, "AI is the next industrial revolution" at the University of Central Florida's spring commencement on Saturday."What happened? OK, I struck a chord," said Gloria Caulfield, the speaker and Vice President of real estate firm Strategic Alliances for Tavistock Development company, upon hearing the boos."Only a few years ago, AI was not a factor in our lives," Caulfield continued. This time, she was met with cheers from the crowd.The reaction to the speech highlights a growing disconnect between proponents of AI and those who feel they have gotten the short end of the AI stick. Since the start of this year, at least 12 major companies that have cut their workforces have cited AI as a reason for layoffs. One recent poll indicated that some young Americans see the technology as a threat to their job prospects. Caulfield and the University of Central Florida did not immediately respond to a request for comment."Being an optimist here, AI, alongside human intelligence, has the potential to help us solve some of humanity's greatest problems," Caulfield went on to say in the speech."Many of you in this graduating class will play a role in making this happen," she added.Her words echo Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's 2026 Commencement speech at Carnegie Mellon University on Sunday, in which he said AI will bring new opportunities for young people.Caulfield's speech was given to graduating students from the College of Arts and Humanities and the Nicholson School of Communication and Media.Some users on social media say this is why it might have hit a deeper nerve.One user on X wrote, "expecting students bankrupted by their education to celebrate the thing that's about to make their degree worthless is the final boss of tone deaf.""Shocker. Graduates dont love AI as much as the boomers using it to replace their jobs," another user on X wrote.Some key business and te...
Graduation speaker booed for praising AI | Cybernews
Gloria Caulfield's speech at the graduation ceremony at the University of Central Florida didn't go as expected - soon after she mentioned AI shaping the future, she was booed by the student crowd.
Florida graduates boo commencement speaker over AI remarks
FLORIDA, USA — A commencement speaker at a Florida college graduation was booed by graduates when she made remarks about artificial intelligence being the "next industrial revolution." Gloria ...
