Key Takeaways
- University of Central Florida graduates loudly booed commencement speaker Gloria Caulfield when she called AI “the next industrial revolution.”
- The crowd then cheered when she said AI hadn’t been a factor in people’s lives just a few years ago.
- Caulfield compared AI’s rise to past tech shifts like the internet and argued that the technology will ultimately create new opportunities and industries.
A real estate executive was recently caught off guard when a crowd at a Florida university booed her after she mentioned AI in positive terms during a graduation speech.
Gloria Caulfield, Tavistock Development Company’s vice president of strategic alliances, was among six speakers invited to address college graduates at the University of Central Florida’s commencement ceremony last week.
In her speech, Caulfield mentioned that “we are living in a time of profound change.”
“That’s an understatement, right?” she said. “Change is exciting. And let’s face it: change can be daunting. The rise of artificial intelligence is the next Industrial Revolution.”
The crowd began to boo after she spoke. The reaction surprised Caulfield, who turned to others on stage and asked, “What happened?”
Caulfield then turned back to the crowd, smiled, and said, “Okay, I struck a chord. May I finish?”
She went on and said, “Only a few years ago, AI was not a factor in our lives,” which drew cheers from the audience.
The response underscores a widening gap between those who champion AI and those who feel harmed by it. Since the start of the year, at least 12 major companies have cited AI in announcing layoffs. A December Harvard Youth Poll found that the majority of young people between the ages of 18 and 29 believe that AI poses a threat to their job prospects.
Leaders frame AI as the next big leap
Caulfield compared the rise of AI to the wave of change during her own graduation years, when the Internet emerged, and cellphones became smaller and more widespread. She said people had similar fears about technology taking over jobs back then. In the end, those shifts transformed the global economy and helped create companies like Apple, Google and Meta, she said.
“So being an optimist here,” Caulfield said, “AI alongside human intelligence has the potential to help us solve some of humanity’s greatest problems. Many of you in this graduating class will play a role in making this happen.”
Caulfield mentioned in her speech that her work has put her in contact with some of today’s most influential figures, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, FedEx founder Fred Smith and former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
She said that these “prolific leaders and innovators of our time” were dreamers who acted on their goals and didn’t let fear hold them back. They found their passions early and stayed committed to them. She pointed to Bezos as an example. In high school, he dreamed of going to space. Years later, he achieved that dream as the founder of space exploration startup Blue Origin.
Caulfield isn’t the only leader pushing an optimistic message about AI to new college graduates. Earlier this week, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang addressed Carnegie Mellon graduates at their commencement ceremony, saying, “A new era of science and discovery is beginning.” He added, “AI will accelerate the expansion of human knowledge and help solve problems once beyond our reach.”
Key Takeaways
- University of Central Florida graduates loudly booed commencement speaker Gloria Caulfield when she called AI “the next industrial revolution.”
- The crowd then cheered when she said AI hadn’t been a factor in people’s lives just a few years ago.
- Caulfield compared AI’s rise to past tech shifts like the internet and argued that the technology will ultimately create new opportunities and industries.
A real estate executive was recently caught off guard when a crowd at a Florida university booed her after she mentioned AI in positive terms during a graduation speech.
Gloria Caulfield, Tavistock Development Company’s vice president of strategic alliances, was among six speakers invited to address college graduates at the University of Central Florida’s commencement ceremony last week.
In her speech, Caulfield mentioned that “we are living in a time of profound change.”
