Across the nation, students booing AI during commencement ceremonies aren't simply voicing concerns about job prospects. They're reacting to a disillusionment shaped by recent technological pasts.
They increasingly perceive the tech industry's initial promises of empowerment and creativity as veering into a landscape marred by online manipulation, surveillance, and addictive technologies driven by profit motives.
The optimism that once surrounded Silicon Valley is faltering. Many in this generation recognize that the tech utopia they were sold stands in stark contrast to the harsh realities unveiled since scandals like Cambridge Analytica brought the dangers of data privacy and exploitation to light.
The era when tech leaders were viewed as benevolent benefactors is fading, and rightly so.
This skepticism extends beyond just AI technologies. The excitement that engulfed the industry in the 1990s and 2000s has evaporated in the wake of mass layoffs and serious social ramifications. Today, we see a generation disenchanted with the very ideals that once glorified the tech industry.
Gen Z views today’s tech titans not as visionary innovators but rather as self-serving elites in a new form of capitalism. This group is acutely aware that the trajectory of technological development often depends less on the technology itself and more on the intents of the corporations wielding it.
Students express valid fears that artificial intelligence may exacerbate existing issues like consumer manipulation and the proliferation of misleading media.
The impact of technology on their lives and education has prompted some students to create groups like the Luddite Club, actively resisting mainstream social media practices as they seek healthier alternatives. Similar movements are cropping up in institutions across the country.
In an era defined by short attention spans, it's difficult for today's students to remember the heady expectations set during the early days of the web, where access to information was supposed to enable a better-informed citizenry. Futurist George Gilder once envisioned the personal computer as a tool for democratic engagement—a notion that feels almost quaint now.
Today's college students are confronted with a reality far from the idealistic visions of the past. Rather than empowerment, they witness a media landscape dominated by sensationalism and polarizing content.
Instead of upward economic mobility, they see stagnant wages and a wealth gap that favors the richest. The dichotomy of seeing figures like Jeff Bezos enjoying space travel while his company’s workers grapple with basic sustenance illustrates this economic disparity starkly.
Rather than a vibrant and informed democracy, Gen Z observes a political environment rife with authoritarian tendencies and corruption, even as social media platforms invest in techniques to keep young users hooked on content that detracts from meaningful engagement.
Related: What it’s like to enter the job market in the middle of an AI revolution
While these students remain acutely aware of the shifts in society, tech moguls seem oblivious. The narrative of the scrappy startup founder, donned in hoodies and promising to operate with integrity, contrasts sharply with the image of billionaires who evade accountability.
Marc Andreessen, a prominent venture capitalist and co-founder of Netscape, embodies this struggle to reconcile past glory with present realities. He recently lamented the loss of admiration that tech leaders used to enjoy.
While tech billionaires remain ensconced in their wealth, this generation of graduates sees clearly that with great power comes greater responsibility—an unfulfilled promise from those at the top.
They recognize a troubling dynamic where powerful AI is increasingly placed in the hands of a few corporations, raising ethical concerns around surveillance and control.
Despite former Google CEO Eric Schmidt's recent appeal to students to engage in shaping AI’s future, their skepticism remains unyielding. Schmidt's nostalgic optimism is lost on today's youth who have witnessed how easily the notion of empowerment turns into self-serving rhetoric.
Educated by history and contemporary practices, Gen Z understands a hard truth: when the affluent promise to uplift society, they often mean to elevate themselves first.
Mark Andrejevic is a professor of media studies at Pomona College.
Contact the opinion editor at [email protected].
This story about why college students are skeptical of AI was produced by The Hechinger Report, an independent nonprofit news organization focused on issues of inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for Hechinger’s weekly newsletter.
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