Microsoft Exec Responds to Graduates Booing AI with Compelling Argument: ‘Nuh Uh’

Microsoft Exec Responds to Graduates Booing AI with Compelling Argument: ‘Nuh Uh’

https://gizmodo.com/microsoft-exec-responds-to-graduates-booing-ai-with-compelling-argument-nuh-uh-2000770103

Publish Date: 2026-06-10 16:05:00

Source Domain: gizmodo.com

• Graduating students across the country have been booing references to artificial intelligence (AI), including commencement speakers and college presidents associated with tech-related mishaps.
• Microsoft President Brad Smith interpreted this reaction as misguided, viewing it as resistance to progress akin to historical fears about the camera replacing art.
• Smith argues that students should recognize AI’s benefits while maintaining control over its use, positioning human preferences as a fundamental market driver.
• He offers little in terms of addressing students’ specific concerns about AI’s impact on job markets and societal inequalities, instead urging them to adapt and find purpose in AI-driven change.
• Smith’s final message to graduates is to embrace AI’s influence on the workforce without fundamentally altering their values or long-held habits, suggesting they should feel heard but not prompting real action on their grievances.