What does it take to get booed by thousands of university graduates? In 2026, apparently, talking positively about Artificial Intelligence.

At several U.S. university commencement ceremonies in 2026, speakers were booed after discussing Artificial Intelligence and its impact on the future of work. Among them was former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who addressed graduates at the University of Arizona.

Why such a strong reaction in a country that has traditionally embraced technological innovation?

Work will be optional! Really? Elon Musk & Jensen Huang

 Elon Musk offered a long-term prediction that work will become optional (perhaps in 10 to 20 years), similar to playing a video game or growing vegetables in a backyard as a hobby.

Jensen Huang countered with a near-term perspective, suggesting that while everyone's jobs will change and people will be more productive, they will likely be busier. This increased productivity frees up time to pursue the numerous ideas and backlog items that people or companies have.

The debate took place at the U.S.-Saudi Arabia investment forum in Washington in November 2025.  The link to the whole conversation is below.