[Source]
This week, Ronny Chieng used Harvard College's commencement ceremony to openly mock the artificial intelligence propaganda that permeates many commencement speeches across the United States. The comedian and "Daily Show" correspondent drew thunderous applause on Tuesday by repeatedly saying "fuck AI" and telling students that their generation's mission is to "destroy AI" rather than "master AI for the future.".
The remarks caught the attention of Harvard, whose alumni include Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadela, and whose graduates remain highly sought after by Silicon Valley companies and AI startups.
Ridiculing the quest to "master AI"«
«"Many distinguished commencement speakers across America tell us that we need to master artificial intelligence for the future," Chieng told the students gathered in the Tercentenary Theater. "I want to tell you that your generation's mission is to destroy AI. Kill it." This statement provoked one of the most heated reactions of the day.
Trending on NextShark: Ronnie Chieng shares what everyone thinks about artificial intelligence at Harvard.
Chieng also criticized the way students are being pushed toward technology he considers unreliable and overhyped. "This isn't just graduation day," he said. "This is Judgment Day from Terminator 2." He then turned the joke about "AI hallucinations" on Harvard itself. "The AI claims that Harvard has a $56.9 billion endowment and that the Harvard student union is on strike to push for a wage increase to $25 an hour, which provides a decent standard of living," Chieng said. "That can't be true. I mean, it's ridiculous. How terrifying are these AI hallucinations?"«
The speech also included jokes about grade inflation at Harvard and social media culture. "Welcome to the real world, graduates," Chieng said. "Where the number of social media followers is the new GPA.".
«The most interesting thing is the creative process itself.».
Trending on NextShark: Karl-Anthony Towns thanks Jeremy Lin for turning him into a New York Knicks fan.
Chieng repeatedly returned to the idea that AI simplifies complex aspects of creative work. "AI may be fuel, but fuel is useless if you can't light a fire," he said.
Citing comedy writing as an example, he said, "The most interesting part is the process of creation itself. The best part of comedy writing is solving the mysteries and the satisfaction of having accomplished something challenging.".
He later joked about a friend who used AI to summarize a book called "Buddhism in Plain English" in 10 seconds. "Believe it or not, he didn't achieve enlightenment," Chieng said. "It turns out that speedrunning Buddhism is a complete misunderstanding.".
Trending on NextShark: Texas host faces backlash from BTS ARMY fans for Oreo cookie joke calling for 'death to America'.
Chieng also mocked those who boast about using AI to generate email summaries and draft replies. "Yeah, you know who else can do that? Me," he said. "But you can't? How useless are you?"«
Going against the tide of artificial intelligence
Chieng's speech stood in contrast to the general message delivered in the lead-up to graduation ceremonies, which was that graduates should learn to work alongside artificial intelligence.
Trending on NextShark: Man who beat 4 people to death in New York's Chinatown sentenced to prison.
At the University of Central Florida, students booed Gloria Caulfield, a healthcare executive and president of AdventHealth University, who was delivering the commencement address after she called the "rise of artificial intelligence" "the next industrial revolution.".
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt raised similar concerns during his commencement at the University of Arizona, where some in the audience also booed him after discussing automation and jobs. "There's a fear in your generation that the future is already written, that machines are approaching, that jobs are disappearing," Schmidt said, urging students to help shape the future of artificial intelligence.
In recent years, AI adoption has accelerated in universities and the workplace. Stanford University's 2026 AI Index reports that four out of five university students now use generative AI tools, and the level of AI adoption in organizations has reached 88%.
Trending on NextShark: Trump Administration Rescinds Green Card Memorandum Amid Looming Visa Delays for Asians.
In closing, Chieng returned to the same message that had elicited some of the loudest applause of the day. "Be kind, be cheerful," he told the students. "But for God's sake, help me destroy these machines first.".
This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter, a bold publication from the creators of NextShark that gives back to our stories and celebrates Asian American voices.
Subscribe for free to join the movement. If you enjoy what we create, consider becoming a paid subscriber—your support helps us grow our team, investigate important stories, and support our community.
Subscribe now!
Download the NextShark app:
Want to stay up-to-date on Asian American news? Download the NextShark app today!