JD Vance joked that the crowd “can’t boo” him while speaking with graduates at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado. The vice president made the quip while discussing artificial intelligence and the widespread criticism notable public figures have recently faced for their controversial comments on the subject.
JD Vance has a message for Air Force graduates
JD Vance gave his commencement speech during the United States Air Force Academy Graduation Ceremony at Falcon Stadium on Thursday, May 28. Addressing the graduates, Vance joked that the crowd cannot boo him because he was the vice president.
While concluding his speech, Vance said, “You know, this is the only commencement speech that I’m giving this year. And so, I’ve watched a few highlights of graduation speeches where this or that corporate leader will discuss artificial intelligence, AI, and be met with literal boos.” Sparking laughter, the VP added, “Now, you can’t boo me. I’m the vice president of the United States” (via PEOPLE).
Vance’s remark comes shortly after multiple other commencement speakers in universities across the nation were met with boos over their eyebrow-raising comments on AI. These included Scott Borchetta, the CEO of Big Machine Records. He sparked a wave of boos from the audience at Middle Tennessee State University, after he said “deal with it,” and called AI “a tool.”
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt also sparked criticism after he mentioned AI. He said, “So today we stand on this edge of another technological transformation. One that will be larger, faster, and more consequential than what came before.”
During his Thursday speech, Vance said that many Americans are “understandably” worried about the consequences of AI’s integration in labor. He added, “But the thing I worry about most with AI is how it will change warfare.”
Vance also echoed Pope Leo XIV’s recent “encyclical.” He said that humans should “not outsource the most important moral decisions to digital technology.” The vice president added, “I want to endorse that sentiment and make it more specific to each and every one of you.” He said that the thing that makes Americans unique is “that we wage war justly.”
