May 27, 2026 – 8.00pmThe surprise in the eyes of former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt when students at the University of Arizona loudly booed his speech mentioning the rise of artificial intelligence at a graduation ceremony earlier this month, was a public showcase of a changing sentiment that is starting to worry Silicon Valley.The billionaire businessman had seemingly expected to inspire the young audience by referring to Time magazine’s decision to name multiple “Architects of AI” as their person of the year, but instead was confronted by a chorus of derision. It was a theme echoed across numerous campuses in graduation season, when speakers raised the letters “AI”.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Amelia McGuireBusiness reporterAmelia McGuire covers technology from the AFR's Sydney newsroom. She was previously the aviation, tourism and gambling reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Fetching latest articles
Booing students and cost blowouts show the AI honeymoon is over
Artificial intelligence has been billed as the answer to every productivity problem. But in the face of rising costs, some tech leaders are changing their tune.
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