Being an AI hater won’t get you hired

I think one of the defining issues of 2026 will be how the backlash against AI and how this will play out in a U.S. economy currently fueled by trillions in AI investment. An AI hater movement will become the top political issue of the year and a narrow tightrope for corporate PR departments.

I’m particularly concerned about how AI hostility will play out these new college grads when virtually every new job requires an AI-forward candidate.

I was going to write a blog post about this, but my friend Dan Christ already did the job. So, in the name of efficiency and a nod to Dan’s good work, here is his guest post for my readers:

There’s a new game being played at college graduations this spring. Maybe you’ve seen it.

A commencement speaker mentions artificial intelligence, and the audience starts to boo.

The speaker continues their prepared remarks and mentions AI again. The boos build.

You can watch Ex Google CEO Eric Schmidt get booed here:

WATCH: Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt got booed by University of Arizona graduates while urging them to embrace AI at their May commencement. pic.twitter.com/RpRv0JJ6Bv

— Clash Report (@clashreport) May 19, 2026

It appears to be great fun for the new graduates reveling in their full-throated derision of a technology many likely relied on extensively to earn the diplomas they’re about to receive.

And it is entirely tone deaf.

This dawning of the AI age is not filled with rainbows and unicorns. There are real systemic issues with which we need to wrestle.

But if a person believes they can boo their blues away, they’re in for a rude awakening.

So why would newly minted college graduates boo a commencement speaker when their entire adult life is going to be enriched by this same technology?

Because they don’t see the technology through that same lens, and because, I think, they’re scared.

Many of us are.

No Sitting This One Out

Headlines about companies laying off workers and replacing them with AI appear almost daily. This is something every working adult needs to grapple with, and some are not.

I talked with someone last week who said they hoped to avoid learning about AI during their remaining years of employment.

Maybe they make it. Maybe they don’t. But their kids and their kid’s kids are grappling with this right now.

And if those kids think they can wear an “AI Hater” hat to their next interview and land a job, they’re going to be sadly mistaken.

On the always outstanding podcast, The AI Intelligence Show, Mike Kaput and Paul Roetzer talked at length about the graduations and how they thought about what was happening.

Roetzer nailed the core issue when he said:

If you’re in that crowd, or any commencement crowd, or you’re having these feelings as a 21-year-old, I am sorry, but you’re not getting a job. You can have those feelings towards AI, and I empathize with them 100%. I understand the fear, the anxiety, even the hatred toward it. But the tech isn’t going to stop. It’s not going to go away. If you show up to an interview and you say you hate AI, they’re not going to show you the door fast enough.

He’s right.

Businesses are actively seeking people who can use AI to improve productivity and reduce expenses. It is a key marketable skill right now.

If a young person, or anyone, believes they’re going to be okay long-term by refusing to use AI, they’ll be swimming against a very strong tide.

A Story Being Written

The good news is that the future has yet to be written. Every day is a new opportunity to face challenges head-on, learn new skills, and think in new ways.

If you hate AI but you’re afraid of being left behind, it’s not too late. Either open a free OpenAI/ChatGPT or Claude account, or open a Gemini account with your Google account. Start with one simple prompt:

I do not like the impact of artificial intelligence on the environment, entry worker hiring rates, and many other factors. But I think I need to learn how to use it. Build me a 30-day program I can follow to learn how to use AI.

The prompt returns straightforward, judgment-free guidance for how to get started. All you have to do is have an open mind and stick with it.

The graduates booing in those auditoriums aren’t wrong to feel what they feel. Fear is a rational response to real disruption. But fear is only useful if it moves you. The ones who turn that anxiety into curiosity — who decide to understand the thing that frightens them — are the ones who get to shape what comes next. That’s always been the story. It still is.

Dan Christ is a media industry executive and AI-forward entrepreneru who has created an AI Trainer course to get individuals quickly up to speed with AI fundamentals. Each class is customized to personal goals and abilities.

Illustration courtesy MidJourney.com