Stanford graduates split over AI as Google CEO Sundar Pichai faces walkout

American college graduates have sent a clear message to this year’s commencement speakers: be careful when discussing artificial intelligence.

Some prominent technology figures, including former Google boss Eric Schmidt, have been booed after mentioning the technology. At Stanford University, in the heart of Silicon Valley, Google CEO Sundar Pichai joked during a recent address that he had been advised to avoid the subject.

A group of graduates nevertheless walked out during his remarks. Some carried signs as they left, including one that read “ICE spies with Google AI”. Others waved Palestinian flags.

Stanford occupies a distinctive place in the American technology ecosystem. It is regarded as a centre of innovation and sits near some of the world’s most influential technology companies, including many pioneers in artificial intelligence. Its students often enter the job market with a significant advantage.

Even there, the backlash against AI was evident.

The BBC spoke to Stanford graduates shortly after Pichai finished his address. Their views on AI varied widely. Some were scared. Some were excited. Nearly all agreed that AI is already changing the world around them, whether they welcome it or not.

Ifdita Hasan, a graduating computer science and AI major, is among those who remain hopeful.

“I feel optimistic about AI,” she said. “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.”

Hasan said she was not surprised by the backlash, adding that early pessimism is common when new technologies emerge.

“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.”

Other Stanford graduates were less confident about AI’s arrival. They are entering the workforce just as the technology is reshaping it.

Atash Heil, an Earth Systems major focused on environmental science and policy, said he was frightened by the uncertainty of an AI-dominated future and by the speed of the transformation during his college years.

“It's already had such a big impact in such a small time,” Heil said.

Heil had recently visited an exhibit featuring art made by artificial intelligence, an experience he described as jarring.

“I thought it was scary, especially on my graduation day, to see that. The future is… that? I want art to be made by humans. That's what makes it art, right?” he said.

Heil was one of several graduates who expressed concern about how many AI companies are developing the technology.

“It has to be done ethically, and it's not being done ethically these days,” he said as he waited for the ceremony to begin.

Stanford told the BBC it did not have statistics to share on student job placement rates. Most graduates interviewed by the BBC either had a job lined up or planned to continue their studies.

When most members of the graduating class entered Stanford as undergraduates in 2021, AI chatbots were still a year away from becoming widely available to many Americans. The arrival of OpenAI’s ChatGPT changed that.

Students also raised concerns about “cognitive offloading,” the practice of relying on AI to carry out problem-solving and other mental tasks.

“I think it's really impacted how people are learning,” said Lucy Zimmerman, a computer science major who served as a teaching assistant.

Zimmerman said she had noticed a difference between take-home work submitted by students, often with the aid of AI in her view, and their exam results. Some classes have started reintroducing proctoring and spoken-word tests to deter cheating, she said.

“I'm worried about future generations,” she said, before adding “and for my generation”.

Despite those concerns, Zimmerman said she was looking forward to working as a software engineer at a technology startup in nearby San Francisco.

“I'm right in the thick of it.”

Stanford has laid claim to innovations ranging from computer time-sharing to the synthesis of biologically active DNA. It is home to the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, where the first website in North America went online in 1991.

Its alumni include Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the co-founders of Google, which began as a research project while both were PhD students at the university. Brin could still be seen walking around campus in track pants years after helping start the search company there.

Researchers at Stanford have also played a pioneering role in the development of AI. According to the university, the term “artificial intelligence” was coined there by computer scientist John McCarthy.

Several leading figures in contemporary AI have ties to Stanford. Computer scientist Fei-Fei Li, known as the “Godmother of AI,” is a professor there. OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman dropped out of Stanford in 2005.

A four-year undergraduate degree from Stanford can cost almost $400,000 when expenses are included. For students admitted to the university, it can be a route to a successful technology career.

The university’s reputation as a recruiting ground for the next generation of technology talent remains strong, with industry leaders regularly appearing on campus. Tens of thousands of students apply each year, and fewer than 4% are admitted.

“Stanford is the centre of ingenuity in the entire country and in the world,” said Harry Kaplan, a graduate in the Management Science and Engineering programme. “A lot of knowledge, research and innovation comes from here. And it's a proud legacy for all of us to be a part of.”

Kaplan said it was still unclear how artificial intelligence would affect his future.

“It's too early to tell,” he said, holding an inflatable palm tree as students prepared for Stanford’s graduation tradition known as the “Wacky Walk”.

“It's an exciting place to be. It feels like we're at the edge of something,” Kaplan added.

When Pichai, who earned his master’s degree at Stanford, took the stage, he made only a brief reference to AI.

“People have been giving me a lot of advice on what to say. Actually, it's been the same advice – and it's about what not to say,” he said early in his remarks. “People thought it would be really difficult for me; it is the last two letters of my last name, after all.”

His remarks were partly drowned out by chants including “free Palestine” as a group of at least 200 students stood up and walked out of Stanford Stadium.

Some students carried signs criticizing Google’s so-called Nimbus contract to provide artificial intelligence tools to the Israeli military. Another sign read “ICE Spies With Google AI,” referring to the company’s ties to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

Pichai walked in silence when the BBC asked him for a response to the walkout after the graduation.

“His presence represents what this political climate is empowering, and who is benefiting from the AI race,” said one graduate who walked out and asked not to be identified. “We cannot relate to him at all.”

Some students who walked out went to another campus location for an alternative ceremony attended by pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil.

Khalil was a key figure in the 2024 Gaza war protests at Columbia University, from which he has graduated. He drew global attention after ICE agents tried to deport him despite his status as a legal permanent resident.

Stanford students also staged protests at the university’s graduation ceremonies in 2024 and 2025.

Although skepticism is widespread among this generation of students, some believe AI may help address problems it is also exacerbating.

Heil plans to move to New Orleans to work on climate resilience. He said AI could help with that work.

“I think AI can be useful in training models – like, for example, climate models that predict how the climate will change,” Heil said.

Heil said he felt privileged to have grown up without AI because he was able to “actually use my brain”. But he is preparing for a future that will be heavily shaped by the technology.

“I'm young,” Heil said. “It's going to take up most of my lifetime.”