By Andy Serwer
College and university graduation speeches often reflect the mood of society and the institutions themselves. It isn't surprising, then, that business leaders speaking at commencements are bumping into some AI agita.
Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, was booed at the University of Arizona for extolling artificial intelligence, as was a real estate executive at the University of Central Florida. At Glendale Community College (also in Arizona), graduate names were reportedly botched by an AI reader that replaced human announcers. (More booing.)
Thasunda Brown Duckett, president and CEO of TIAA, spoke of AI at Delaware State University, if less overtly: "Your competitive advantage isn't what you know today, but your ability to keep learning, to adapt, and to lead through uncertainty," she said. No blowback there.
Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines, earned applause, telling graduates at Emory University that he had AI write a speech but tore it up because he "noticed the lack of soul nor warmth."
But Nvidia's Jensen Huang talked up AI at Carnegie Mellon, and the students were fine with it. Must be school-dependent. Bet on graduates at Stanford being copacetic with Google CEO Sundar Pichai when he speaks on June 14 if he delves into AI -- though some may seek jobs.
At Duke, Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood spoke about her journey after graduating in 1995. "You'll figure it out one messy step at a time," Hood said. "And trust me, the mess is where all the good stuff happens."
Meanwhile, Ray Dalio, founder of hedge fund Bridgewater Associates, spoke at his alma mater, Long Island University, 55 years after graduating, about how meditation changed his life. "As a graduation gift to those who want it, I am going to give you lessons on transcendental meditation...the most valuable gift I can give anyone," he said. Who knew chilling out brings success on Wall Street?
Then there's the wisdom of Henry "The Fonz" Winkler, speaking at his alma mater, Emerson College in Boston. "I live by two words: tenacity and gratitude," he said. "Tenacity will get you where you want to go, and gratitude will make you enjoy the journey, no matter how bumpy." Correctamundo.
Write to Andy Serwer at andy.serwer@barrons.com. Follow him on X and subscribe to his At Barron's podcast.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 21, 2026 14:09 ET (18:09 GMT)
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