‘Read the room’: Graduation speaker shocked by AI backlashA viral video has captured the moment graduates lost their cool as their guest speaker made a statement that left them in complete disbelief.Naomi Kaplan2 min readMay 13, 2026 - 5:13PMA guest speaker at a US graduation ceremony has been slammed for delivering an “out of touch” speech praising Jeff Bezos and artificial intelligence to a room full of humanities students.Video footage from the University of Central Florida’s commencement ceremony has gone viral after the audience turned on the podium guest, loudly booing as she stood baffled.Gloria Caulfield, a high-level corporate real estate executive, was invited to address graduates from the College of Arts and Humanities, but things quickly derailed when she begun to praise AI. While discussing technological advancements, Ms Caulfield remarked that it was “an understatement” to say society was now “living in a time of profound change”.“Change is exciting,” she told the crowd. “Very exciting. And let’s face it, change can be daunting.Guest speaker at a US graduation ceremony, Gloria Caulfield, has been heckled over her pro-AI sentiments. Picture: YouTube/University of Central Florida“The rise of artificial intelligence is the next Industrial Revolution —” but before she could finish her sentence, a loud chorus of boos echoed throughout the auditorium.Others you may likenewsnewsCaught off guard, Ms Caulfield turned behind her, raising her hands in disbelief.“Whoa! What happened?” she asked, as the booing grew louder and one person in the crowd could be heard yelling, “AI sucks!”Ms Caulfield looked visibility shocked as audience members booed her speech praising AI and Jeff Bezos. Picture: YouTube/University of Central FloridaShe turned around in genuine disbelief. Picture: YouTube/University of Central Florida“Okay, I struck a chord. May I finish?” she said, her voice wavering slightly with a nervous laugh.Attempting to continue, she added: “Uhh, only a few years ago, AI was not a factor in our lives.”She was interrupted again — but this time by loud applause from the students, who made it clear they preferred a reality without AI.Realising the crowd’s resentment, she admitted: “Okay … we’ve got a bipolar topic here, I see.”Students can then be seen cheering as she mentioned a past without AI in it. Picture: YouTubeThe viral clip has since racked up hundreds of thousands of views and comments roasting the speaker for failing to “read the room”.“Astonishingly out of touch,” one user commented on social media.“Praising AI at a college graduation while graduating students face an incredibly bleak job market and prospect due to AI is a choice,” said a second.“The fact that she’s surprised absolutely blows my mind,” shared a third.Someone even joked: “AI clearly wrote her speech.”Graduates from the ceremony also took to a Reddit forum to explain exactly why the speech struck such a nerve.“I was part of the class graduating. Mind you this happened during the ARTS AND HUMANITIES ceremony,” one student shared, noting that majors within the arts sectors are among the most at risk of unemployment.“Let me also add that she started the speech talking about Jeff Bezos and praising him,” they added. “It was a very out of touch and controversial topic to speak about.”Gen Zers are increasingly worried that AI will leave them jobless. Picture: iStockOthers questioned the university’s choice of speaker altogether.“Why did they have a real estate executive speak at the Arts and Humanities ceremony? It almost seems intentionally petty,” someone wrote.Another attendee added: “Also witnessed this first-hand (and) this woman praised Jeff Bezos like our ceremony was sponsored by Amazon. So out of touch it’s wild.”It comes as anti-AI sentiment has been rapidly mounting among Gen Zers, as the technology threatens to derail their future career prospects and many creative roles. More Coverage‘Your nude is going around’: School pic shockRebekah ScanlanJules seen after major life update amid splitNaomi KaplanHowever, once the rowdy audience finally settled, Ms Caulfield attempted to redeem her speech.Urging the students to “stay true to your passion,” she offered up a more positive take on the controversial tech.“AI, alongside human intelligence, has the potential to help us to solve some of humanity’s greatest problems … And many of you will play a role in making this happen,” she concluded.Join the conversationAdd your comment to this storyTo join the conversation, please log in. Don't have an account? 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