'Tone deaf' graduation speaker triggers round of boos with remarks about A.I. during commencement address

University of Central Florida commencement speaker Gloria Caulfield.

A corporate executive delivering a commencement speech last week in Florida triggered a cascade of intense booing from the college graduates she was speaking to when she discussed her views on A.I., and video of the moment has gone viral on social media this week. 

Gloria Caulfield, the vice president of strategic alliances at Tavistock Development Company, was giving the commencement speech to graduates at the University of Central Florida from the College of Arts and Humanities and the Nicholson School of Communication and Media last Friday, and everything seemed to be going according to plan as she recited platitudes about congratulations and famous American entrepreneurs. But then she brought up the topic of A.I. and things abruptly went off the rails. 

"The rise of artificial intelligence is the next Industrial Revolution," Caulfield told the graduates, a remark that prompted intense boos. One student yelled out, "A.I. sucks!" Caulfield was genuinely taken aback by the response. "What happened?" she asked, looking offstage in confusion. "OK, I struck a chord," she remarked as the boos escalated. "May I finish?”

Caulfield, just a moment later, did manage to get an enthusiastic round of applause from the graduating class as she continued, her voice quivering. 

“Only a few years ago, A.I. was not a factor in our lives,” she said, to which the graduates erupted in applause. Caulfield threw up her hands in bewilderment, looking offstage again. "All right, we’ve got a bipolar topic here, I see," Caulfield said. Less than 30 seconds later the crowd was booing again as she continued her speech. 

Dillon Delaney, a 22-year who graduated that day with a degree in digital media, told The Orland Sentinel the speech was “tone deaf” and “like watching a car crash in real time,” though he said he wasn't one of the many grads who booed. Her remarks clearly underscored a sense of dread many college grads are feeling as A.I. begins to reshape the American workforce, and the already tough job market is toughest to crack into for recent grads.  

Watch a portion of her speech below that went viral and click here to watch the speech in its entirety.