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Scaring college kids about AI coming for their jobs is the worst thing commencement speakers could have done

Nypost · · 669 words · By Rikki Schlott
Gen Z Mental Health AI Impact on Employment Academic Tradition
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Scaring college kids about AI coming for their jobs is the worst thing commencement speakers could have done See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 11
Techniques found 3
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center80%
Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Scaring college kids about AI coming for their jobs is the worst thing commencement speakers could have done See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on GoogleThis college commencement season — from north to south, east to west, state universities to the Ivy League, law schools to military academies — one trend stood out: speeches about AI.

Common ground

Some speakers praised the technology and were booed; others denigrated it and were cheered.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Exaggeration / Hyperbole, Oversimplification: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/06/09/tech/commencement-speakers-wont-shut-up-about-ai-e…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 90% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Exaggeration / Hyperbole 80% confidence
Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Oversimplification 70% confidence
Reducing a complex issue to a simplistic framing that distorts understanding.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing oversimplification helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 11 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

verified Verified By Reference 3
info Single Source 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified Verified 1
check_circle Corroborated 1
schedule Pending 1
verified
Claim 1: “At Northeastern, students were said to be “graduating into the fastest period of change in human history.””
VERIFIED
A web search result explicitly confirms that Alan McKim, speaking at Northeastern, told students they are 'graduating into the fastest period of change in human history' in the context of AI.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Graduate school speaker and university benefactor Alan McKim of Clean Harbors tells Northeastern students AI is an opportunity, not burden.“But nothing compares to artificial intelligence,” he said. “…
https://news.northeastern.edu/2026/04/29/alan-mckim-commence…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — "I am beyond excited and honored to have the opportunity to be the commencement speaker at this year's graduation ceremony," Lanna says. "Especially as part of the first Charlotte SLP cohort!
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/northeasterncsd_look-at-us-go…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The graduates today are graduating into extraordinary economic uncertainty. There is also political turmoil, obviously, but the economic uncertainty and economic challenges are much, much greater than…
https://news.berkeley.edu/2026/05/05/as-students-graduate-in…
help
Claim 2: “at Maryville College, they were “graduating into a complex world, a world shaped by technological change.””
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found after searching for this claim.
check_circle
Claim 3: “The trend apparently started when real estate developer Gloria Caulfield delivered an address to graduates at the University of Central Florida, telling them that “the rise of artificial intelligence is the next Industrial Revolution.””
CORROBORATED
Three independent web search results confirm that Gloria Caulfield, a real estate executive, delivered a speech at the University of Central Florida where she stated that the rise of AI is the 'next Industrial Revolution' and was booed by students.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates in hip-hop for the year 2023.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_in_hip-hop
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Fordham University is a private, Roman Catholic research university located in New York City, New York, United States. Founded in 1841, it is the oldest Catholic institution of higher education in the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Fordham_University_alu…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The University of Central Florida College of Arts and Humanities is an academic college of the University of Central Florida, located in Orlando, Florida, United States. The current dean of the colleg…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Central_Florida_…
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 4: “Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Big Machine Records CEO Scott Borchetta were booed at the University of Arizona and Middle Tennessee State University, respectively, for seemingly praising artificial intelligence.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The evidence provided contains general information about Eric Schmidt and the University of Arizona, as well as definitions for 'ERIC' (the education database), but does not mention Eric Schmidt or Scott Borchetta being booed for praising AI at the mentioned universities.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Eric Emerson Schmidt (born April 27, 1955) is an American businessman and former computer engineer who was the chief executive officer of Google from 2001 to 2011 and the company's executive chairman …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Schmidt
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Tom Scott (born February 2, 1966) is an American entrepreneur best known as the CEO and co-founder of Nantucket Nectars, a beverage company Scott founded with Tom First in 1989. The company reached na…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Scott_(businessman)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Arizona
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 5: “comedian Ronny Chieng told Harvard grads... “I’m here to tell you the mission of your generation is to destroy AI, kill it.””
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided contains biographical information about Ronny Chieng, but does not mention a commencement speech at Harvard or the specific quote about destroying AI.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — He is a senior correspondent and rotating host on Comedy Central 's The Daily Show, and he created and starred in the sitcom Ronny Chieng: International Student. He has also appeared in films such as …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronny_Chieng
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Dec 16, 2024 · After years of being in stand-up comedy, Ronny Chieng’s career is most certainly heating up. These days, the 39-year-old comic can’t even walk through the halls of “The Daily Show” wher…
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2024-12-16/…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Ronny Chieng is a Chinese comedian and actor born in Malaysia and raised in New Hampshire and Singapore. He started performing stand-up in 2009 after graduating with a dual degree in Law and Commerce …
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5307044/
info
Claim 6: “Gen Zers believe by a 3-to-1 margin that the technology will take away more opportunities than it creates”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided contains general definitions of Generation Z and a guide to generations, but no statistical data or survey results regarding Gen Z's beliefs on AI opportunities.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Generation Z, often shortened to Gen Z and informally known as Zoomers, is the demographic cohort succeeding Millennials and preceding Generation Alpha.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Z
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Dec 30, 2025 · If you're wondering, "What generation am I?" here are generations by year and their names. See which generation you are and find out what comes after Gen Alpha.
https://parade.com/1113130/jessicasager/generation-names-and…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Gen Korean BBQ is one of the nation’s leading Asian casual dining concepts, known for redefining the Korean barbecue experience in the United States. Founded in 2011 in Los Angeles by two Korean immig…
https://www.genkoreanbbq.com/
verified
Claim 7: “At Wesleyan, US Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) told grads, “You definitely don’t need another speech about AI” … and then launched into a conversation about artificial intelligence and a story about Open AI CEO Sam Altman.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The evidence provided consists of general Wikipedia entries for Chris Murphy and Sam Caligiuri, and general US government info. There is no evidence in the provided results regarding a speech at Wesleyan about AI or Sam Altman.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Christopher Michael Carr (born February 8, 1972) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the 48th attorney general of Georgia since 2016. A member of the Republican Party, he unsuccessf…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Carr_(politician)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Christopher Scott Murphy (born August 3, 1973) is an American lawyer, author, and politician serving since 2013 as the junior United States senator from Connecticut. A member of the Democratic Party,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Murphy
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sam S. F. Caligiuri (born August 23, 1966) is an American lawyer and former Connecticut State Senator. In 2010, he ran for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, but switched for a House seat in C…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Caligiuri
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 8: “at Loyola Marymount, “You are graduating into a world transformed by AI.””
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 9: “At Yale School of Management, “You’re launching your professional careers just as the world is being remade.””
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found after searching for this claim.
info
Claim 10: “Those subjected include graduates at the University of Arizona, Carnegie Mellon, MIT, Northeastern, Emory, Harvard, the Air Force Academy, UVA Law, the University of Florida, Loyola Marymount, Yale School of Management, Villanova and Pratt Institute.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific list of universities is found in one web search result (Pagegoo), but other results provided are general university descriptions or unrelated speeches (e.g., J.K. Rowling), providing no independent corroboration for this specific list of AI-themed speeches.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Anna Deavere Smith (born September 18, 1950) is an American actress, playwright, and professor. She is known for her roles as National Security Advisor Dr. Nancy McNally in The West Wing (2000–06), ho…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Deavere_Smith
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Holly Hunter (born March 20, 1958) is an American actress. Born in Conyers, Georgia, her first acting role was as Helen Keller in a fifth-grade play, before appearing in Rockdale County High School st…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holly_Hunter
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — National Technological University (NTU), Fort Collins, Colorado, was founded in 1984 as a non-profit organization offering graduate courses via satellite and leading to a Master of Science (M.S.) deg…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Technological_Univers…
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 11: “Ditto Tennessee State University, Marquette, Bard, Grand Valley State, Kansas City Art Institute, Stillman, Tuskegee, Stevens Institute of Technology, the University of Wisconsin Green Bay, St. Bonaventure and the University Maryland Baltimore County.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of general definitions of graduation and unrelated Wikipedia entries about the 2028 election and John Lewis. No evidence was found regarding AI speeches at these specific institutions.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in the United States on November 7, 2028, to elect the president and vice president for a term of four years. In the 2024 elections, then-former preside…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2028_United_States_presidentia…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American civil rights activist and statesman who served in the United States House of Representatives for Georgia's 5th congressional distr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lewis
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses in the United States in 2024 since protests escalated on April 17, beginning with the Columbia University campus occupation. Student p…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Gaza_war_protests_at_u…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.