You might be an Oligarch when…
You are surprised that everyday people aren’t excited about a dystopian future. Eric Schmidt and several other college commencement speakers were booed when they mentioned AI and how it will impact the lives of graduates.
Graduation should be a time of celebrating accomplishment and embracing the adventure of the future. AI is an unwelcome guest at the party. Students are being hammered with the narrative that traditional education is now irrelevant and that they will need to invent their own future in a world that heaps rewards on a few while leaving less and less for the rest of us. If you bring the inevitable reign of AI to a graduation parade, you should expect an icy reception.
What Schmidt actually said during his speech is empowering and hopeful. Far from techno-determinism, he says, “The future is not yet finished. It is now your turn to shape it.” Words matter, but they have to align with actions. The chorus of boos rising up from graduating seniors should make it clear that a large constituency does not feel included or well served by tech’s influence on society.
Will political and business leaders choose to listen to constituents or continue tearing the fabric of our social structure for their personal benefit?
