Jeremy Scott’s speech at a college graduation ceremony began with an AI-written speech, which could have ended in boos.
Instead, the fashion designer received roaring applause.
Scott’s commencement address at the Kansas City Art Institute on May 16 began predictably. He congratulated students on reaching the “threshold of a new beginning.” He said their “power is limitless.”
“Sounds kind of cliched, right? Doesn’t sound authentic, does it? Sounds like you’ve heard it before, right? It’s because it’s AI,” he revealed.
Then, Scott ripped up his AI-written speech to laughs and loud cheers from the audience. He told the students they don’t want the “AI overlords telling you what’s right and what’s wrong.”
“Because you know what AI can’t do? It can’t do what you do. It can’t have an original idea. It can’t even differentiate the difference between a good idea, a unique idea, and one that’s mediocre,” Scott said.
He said human artists have passion, something that sets them apart from AI.
“That’s what makes your role as an artist so much more urgent right now. In this space and time that we’re living, I argue that the artist is even more crucial than ever,” Scott said. “It’s because an artist doesn’t tell the truth. They decide what truth feels like. They’re a bender of reality while being a mirror to society.”
Scott might have already seen the reactions some other commencement speakers have received when they talked about AI.
Earlier this month, students booed former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and real estate executive Gloria Caulfield for their remarks about AI at two separate graduation ceremonies. Big Machine Records CEO Scott Borchetta drew backlash at Middle Tennessee State University after he discussed AI’s impact on music and media.
Graduates are understandably uneasy about AI.
They are entering the workforce just as the technology is remaking entry-level jobs. AI is also transforming how companies assess candidates and the specific skills they need. At least a dozen major companies have cited increased efficiency from AI as a factor in their decision to lay off employees this year.
Even outside the workplace, many Americans are unexcited about the ever-increasing amount of interactions they have with AI in their day-to-day lives, according to a recent Pew Research Center study. And many Americans are resisting the large data centers required to power the technology.
Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak appeared to understand the worries graduates have when he delivered the commencement speech at Grand Valley State University earlier this month, before Schmidt and the others went viral.
Students cheered when he told them they already have AI: “Actual intelligence.”
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