Stanford was their golden ticket

Source Domain: www.yahoo.com

American college graduates have made one thing clear to this year’s batch of commencement speakers – beware of bringing up artificial intelligence (AI).

Some of the biggest names in tech, including former Google boss Eric Schmidt, have been booed when they mention the technology.

At Stanford University recently, in the heart of the American tech hub of Silicon Valley, Sundar Pichai – the CEO of Google, a major AI developer – joked about having been told to avoid the topic.

A group of graduates nevertheless walked out during his remarks.

Some students carried signs with them as they left – one sign read “ICE spies with Google AI”, while others were seen waving Palestinian flags.

Stanford occupies a unique position in the American tech ecosystem. It’s regarded as a hotbed of innovation and resides in the shadow of some of the most influential Big Tech companies on the planet, including many pioneers in the AI field. Its elite students enter the job market with an undeniable edge.

Yet even there, the backlash was inescapable.

The BBC spoke to Stanford graduates shortly after Pichai finished his address and they expressed a wide range of views on AI. Some are scared. Some are excited. But nearly everyone agrees that AI is already changing the world around them, whether they like it or not.

Ifdita Hasan is among the hopeful. And she knows a thing or two about the technology – it’s her degree subject.

“I feel optimistic about AI,” said the graduating computer science and AI major. “I think AI gives us the opportunity to learn more about the universe. It’s a tool that people should try to use and try to adapt to.”

But, she added, she’s not surprised by the backlash, noting that early pessimism is common with emerging technologies.

“This is what happens. It happened with the internet,” she said. “But I would encourage people to be optimistic about AI – to try to learn and explore more.”

Ifdita Hasan [BBC]

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