At the University of Arizona, former CEO of Google Eric Schmidt was booed loudly He compared AI to previous waves of technological innovation and urged graduates to help “shape” its future. at the University of Central Florida, a real estate executive Gloria Caulfield aroused loud ridicule When she called artificial intelligence “the next industrial revolution.” At graduation ceremonies across the country, moments of backlash against AI made leaders across all industries take notice: Generation Z’s resistance to AI is getting louder. What do they tell us?
As the next interim dean of the Kogod School of Business at American University, where we have been intentionally integrating AI throughout the curriculum since 2023, I see these booing clips less as a protest against the technology and more as a message from students. Maybe they don’t reject AI itself (many use it every day!). Rather, they are more likely to react to the way AI is often presented: as an inevitable force that will disrupt their lives and careers, and they are expected to embrace it with enthusiasm.
The landscape for college students and recent graduates is changing faster than we can prepare them for, and students feel uncertain about their future. Many are entering a job market already characterized by economic fluctuations, shifting career paths, and evolving employer expectations. Some resent the rise of AI because of this uncertainty, because they say it robs them of their ability to control their own path. They are skeptical of the technology that corporate executives praise while saying little about what it means for workers starting out in their careers. They hear promises of productivity gains and business transformation, while also seeing headlines about layoffs, hiring freezes and automation.
Why doubt makes sense
Students are the ones who have to live with these technologies and their impact for the longest time, so it makes sense for them to be skeptical. In fact, I would be more concerned if they simply accepted every claim made about AI at face value.
Recent polls suggest so Adults under 30 years of age are more susceptible Older generations tend to view AI as “mostly bad,” even when they use it every day. At the same time, employer expectations are changing rapidly. The percentage of students who reported that potential employers asked about their ability to use AI in the workplace increased 12 percent in 2024 to 30 percent in 2025. Preliminary data for the 2025-2026 academic year indicate that the number has already risen to 42%. Students understand these signals and realize that AI will shape the workplace of the future. What they are wondering is how, and for whom.
More than anything else, students feel anxious. Through their graduation boos, each of these skeptical students demonstrates something of the utmost importance in the age of artificial intelligence: critical thinking.
True critical thinking is much more than just being contrarian. It means asking questions like: What can this technology do more effectively than me? How can it enhance my work without diminishing my judgment? What responsibilities should never be delegated to a machine?
And therein lies the real power of using AI right: helping students build the judgment to understand where AI creates value, where tools fall short, and how to use AI in ways that amplify—not replace—their thinking. This is critical thinking that goes beyond mere criticism.
When AI tools help versus hinder learning
This philosophy has shaped how we approach AI across the student experience at Kogod: not as a standalone tool to master, but as something students learn to ask, experiment with, and apply to enhance their innate human intelligence, such as creativity, communication, and ethical reasoning.
Like many technologies, AI can either deepen learning or undermine it. I have seen students use AI to take shortcuts, bypassing the intellectual work required to build expertise and undermining their learning outcomes. I’ve also seen students use AI intentionally and out of curiosity to explore ideas more deeply, challenge assumptions, and expand the scope of what they can create.
Last spring, first-year students in the introductory business course completed a final project that required them to develop a product concept and pitch it to a potential investor (think Shark Tank). This assignment encouraged them to think like entrepreneurs: identify market opportunities, develop solutions, and present a compelling business case.
The results were great. Their slide design was excellent. We practiced their presentations a lot throughout the semester, so they were confident in delivering them, and then used AI to extract creative ideas and beautify their content. Students developed apps, created prototype websites, and even created commercials to bring their concepts to life. They demonstrated a level of creativity that I had not seen from students their age since I began teaching the course in 2011. Ultimately, AI enabled the students to demonstrate a deeper understanding of their customers, more sophisticated thinking in product design, and greater confidence in presenting their ideas.
What boos actually tell us
Like the AI skeptics out there, I worry about what will be lost when AI replaces learning: the practice, deeper understanding, and development of judgment that students will need to succeed in their chosen careers. This is exactly what many students fear when they hear leaders talk about investing in technology to create efficiency rather than investing in people. This is exactly why teachers need to be empowered to use AI as an amplifier of their intellectual outputs – not a substitute for it or a replacement for them.
At Kogod, we find that students respond very differently when AI is presented not as a threat to their future but as a tool built into how they learn, solve problems, and create more effectively.
We need to listen to what students tell us. As educators, it is our responsibility to revise our assignments to take advantage of these new tools, ensuring that students continue to meet their course learning goals and develop essential skills that technology cannot replace. It also means preparing them for a workforce where AI literacy will be essential, with enhanced human capabilities remaining their biggest advantage. As dean, I am passionate about developing a strategy for our College of Business that prepares our students for the future of work and all that it will require of them.
So when I hear those boos at graduation? I hear engagement, questioning, and critical thinking at work. In the age of artificial intelligence, this deserves applause.
