The AI Hype Index: AI gets booed in graduation season

Artificial intelligence The AI Hype Index: AI gets booed in graduation season MIT Technology Review ’s highly subjective take on the latest buzz about AI Stephanie Arnett/MIT Technology Review | Getty Images, Adobe Stock by Caiwei Chen archive page May 28, 2026 It is one thing to say AI will change the world. It is another to expect the class of 2026 to applaud it. In fact, when former Google CEO Eric Schmidt told University of Arizona graduates that their task is to help shape AI, he was met with a resounding chorus of boos. “I can hear you,” he said, before conceding that fears about disappearing jobs and a broken future were “rational.” This is not exactly the message one hopes to hear while sweating under a polyester gown and tallying student loan payments. Graduates have been jeering at AI pep talks at other commencements too, including ceremonies at the University of Central Florida and Middle Tennessee State University. Still, increasingly loud skepticism hasn’t stopped OpenAI from winning court cases, raising enormous sums of money, and launching new partnerships. And AI is even earning some unlikely cheerleaders: Reese Witherspoon has warned women to embrace it or be replaced by it. by Caiwei Chen Share Share story on linkedin Share story on facebook Share story on email Deep Dive Artificial intelligence Want to understand the current state of AI? Check out these charts. According to Stanford’s 2026 AI Index, AI is sprinting, and we’re struggling to keep up. By Michelle Kim archive page 10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now MIT Technology Review's authoritative overview of the 10 technologies, emerging trends, bold ideas, and powerful movements in AI in 2026. By Amy Nordrum archive page Musk v. Altman week 1: Elon Musk says he was duped, warns AI could kill us all, and admits that xAI distills OpenAI’s models Musk kept his cool, and OpenAI’s lawyer bulldozed him with piercing questions about his motivations for suing the company. By Michelle Kim archiv