When Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google, stepped up to deliver the commencement address at Stanford University, he knew the risk. He had been warned to steer clear of artificial intelligence — and that warning proved prophetic. A group of graduates walked out during his remarks, carrying signs that read “ICE spies with Google AI” and waving Palestinian flags.
Pichai had joked about being told to avoid the topic, but the boos that had greeted former Google boss Eric Schmidt at other commencements were clearly on his mind. At Stanford, in the heart of Silicon Valley, the backlash against AI was inescapable — even among the elite students who will soon shape the very industry they are questioning.
“Stanford graduates walked out during Google CEO Sundar Pichai's speech, protesting AI.”
The BBC spoke to graduates moments after Pichai finished. Their views were divided. Ifdita Hasan, a graduating computer science and AI major, is among the hopeful. “I feel optimistic about AI,” she said. “I think AI gives us the opportunity to learn more about the universe. It’s a tool that people should try to use and try to adapt to.” She compared the current scepticism to early resistance to the internet, urging people to “learn and explore more.”
But others are less sanguine. Atash Heil, a graduate in Earth Systems, is frightened by the speed of change. “It’s already had such a big impact in such a small time,” he said. He described visiting an exhibit of AI-generated art on graduation day as a jarring experience. “I thought it was scary, especially on my graduation day, to see that. The future is… that? I want art to be made by humans. That’s what makes it art, right?”
Stanford sits in the shadow of the tech giants that pioneered artificial intelligence, and its graduates enter the job market with an undeniable edge. Yet nearly everyone the BBC spoke to agreed: AI is already transforming their world, whether they welcome it or not.