Stanford graduates walk out on Google CEO Sundar Pichai over AI speech

A group of Stanford University graduates walked out during a commencement address by Google CEO Sundar Pichai, some carrying signs reading “ICE spies with Google AI” and waving Palestinian flags, after Pichai joked about being told to avoid the topic of artificial intelligence. The protest came amid a broader backlash against AI among this year’s college graduates, with other tech leaders including former Google boss Eric Schmidt also booed when mentioning the technology. Pichai, whose company is a major AI developer, spoke at Stanford in the heart of Silicon Valley, a campus regarded as a hotbed of innovation that sits in the shadow of Big Tech giants. Despite Stanford’s elite status, the anti-AI sentiment was inescapable. The BBC spoke to graduates shortly after Pichai’s address and found a wide range of views. “I feel optimistic about AI,” said Ifdita Hasan, a graduating computer science and AI major. “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.” Hasan, who plans to finish her master’s degree and then apply for an advanced degree, said she was not surprised by the backlash, noting that early pessimism is common with emerging technologies. “This is what happens. It happened with the internet,” she said. “But I would encourage people to be optimistic about AI – to try to learn and explore more.” Other graduates were less sanguine. Atash Heil, a major in Earth Systems, said he was frightened by the uncertainty of an AI-dominated future and the speed of transformation seen during his college years. “It’s already had such a big impact in such a small time,” Heil said. He recalled visiting an exhibit featuring art made by artificial intelligence, an experience he described as jarring. “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?”