Commentary: Don’t boo AI like UCF students did. Adapt to it as creative partner – Orlando Sentinel

Commentary: Don’t boo AI like UCF students did. Adapt to it as creative partner – Orlando Sentinel

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2026/05/13/commentary-dont-boo-ai-adapt-to-it-as-a-creative-partner/

Publish Date: 2026-05-13 12:10:00

Source Domain: www.orlandosentinel.com

• Tensions at UCF Commencement: The commencement speech about Artificial Intelligence (AI) triggered a wave of boos from graduates, reflecting a complex tension between fear of AI’s future impact and dependency on its current benefits.

• Corporate AI Use Concerns: There is skepticism about AI’s rise due to its aggressive use by corporations to replace human expertise for cost-cutting, undermining the value of human talent.

• AI’s Transformative Benefits: Despite corporate misuse, AI has driven advancements in various sectors including healthcare and logistics, creating equitable opportunities and making once-unattainable achievements possible.

• Student Hypocrisy: Many students, while condemning AI in abstract, have relied on it for academic tasks like homework and essays, highlighting a disconnect between opposing its future use and embracing it for present convenience.

• Credentialist Mindset: A focus on diplomas and grades as ends in themselves rather than the acquisition of skills endangers education. Students often resort to using AI or cheating to secure their degrees.

• AI’s Future Role: In the professional world, the primary concern is efficiency and results, not the tools used to achieve them, but those who can think critically and contribute unique perspectives are valued.

• Adaptation to AI: The key to future job security lies not in opposing AI but in learning to use it effectively as a partner to enhance creativity and productivity, rather than as a mere replacement for human input.

• The Path Forward: Embracing and integrating AI into workflows not only accelerates progress but also ensures individuals can stay relevant in a rapidly changing technological landscape.