What made UCF graduates boo a commencement speaker talking AI? Job concerns, students say
Graduates booed as Gloria Caulfield praised artificial intelligence, reflecting fears that 30% of recent graduates found full-time jobs, a Cengage survey found.
- Gloria Caulfield, Vice President of Strategic Alliances for Tavistock Development Company, faced vocal backlash from graduating students at the University of Central Florida commencement ceremony when she championed artificial intelligence.
- Recent graduate Madison Fuentes said many students worry artificial intelligence could reduce job opportunities in creative fields. "I think we're just having a hard time acknowledging it," Fuentes said.
- After Caulfield declared artificial intelligence the "next Industrial Revolution," students booed loudly; they later cheered when she noted, "Only a few years ago, AI was not a factor in our lives."
- Acknowledging the divided reaction, Caulfield described the event as a "bipolar" issue. News 6 contacted UCF to ask whether commencement speeches are reviewed and how the university supports students entering an AI-driven workforce.
- A recent report from education technology group Cengage found only 30% of 2025 graduates secured full-time jobs, down from 41% in 2024. Gallup polls indicate Gen Z opinion of artificial intelligence is increasingly negative.
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University of Central Florida commencement speaker booed over AI praise
ORLANDO, Fla. (CBS, KYMA) - Attendees booed a University of Central Florida commencement speaker over her comments regarding artificial intelligence (AI) Friday. Gloria Caulfield, who is Vice President of Strategic Alliances at Florida-based real estate firm Tavistock Development Company, received strong reactions from attendees of the College of Arts and Humanities and the Nicholson School of Communication and Media commencement ceremony. While…
College students 'relentlessly' boo commencement speaker over AI remarks
A commencement clip from the University of Central Florida is drawing widespread attention online after graduates loudly booed a speaker for calling artificial intelligence "the next industrial revolution." The moment unfolded May 8 at a graduation event for UCF's arts, humanities, communication, and media programs, according to Orlando Weekly. the tech world has genuinely not grappled with how many peopledespise them and what they make pic.twit…
UCF commencement speaker met with boos over pro-AI remarks during ceremony: ‘Struck a chord’
Gloria Caulfield, the Vice President of Strategic Alliances at Orlando-based Tavistock Development Company, made the highly ridiculed remark in front of communication and media graduates at the university's Addition Financial Arena Friday night.
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