Delta CEO Ed Bastian Says He Used AI to Draft but Ultimately Hand-Wrote His Emory Commencement Speech

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian told Emory University graduates on Monday that he asked artificial intelligence to prepare his commencement address but discarded the result. The 68-year-old executive said the AI-generated draft was quick and easy to generate yet lacked soul and warmth.

It was not his personal voice and did not express his genuine appreciation for the opportunity to speak, he added.

Bastian threw away the AI-generated draft and wrote his speech by hand. "So don’t worry," he told the class of 2026. " The audience applauded after Bastian said he threw away the AI draft. The most important asset graduates possess is their good name, Bastian said.

"It’s your brand. It’s what you stand for. And there’s only one person that can take that away from you. " Bastian began his career as an auditor at Price Waterhouse, now PwC. He later worked at PepsiCo before joining Delta in 1998 as vice president of finance.

He was named CFO of Delta by 2005 and was elevated to CEO a decade after becoming CFO. Delta has a market capitalization north of $45 billion. Character is revealed when times and decisions are hard, Bastian told the graduates.

"Many times, doing the right thing comes at a cost. " He added that taking a shortcut or pushing the easy button can sometimes be tempting but never yields an enduring result. Bastian told Fortune’s Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell earlier this year that his best advice is to make certain that you’re taking care of the people that got you there.

He appeared on the Titans and Disruptors of Industry podcast and said leaders should have humility with the willingness to actually listen more than you talk, to be able to make certain that you have an appreciation for what people do, to relate to the people. Bastian echoed a similar message in his remarks. "I’ve learned more from my failures than my successes have ever taught me," he said.

"That’s where real learning occurs and confidence is born. com reported that as the class of 2026 walks across the stage this graduation season, artificial intelligence remains a central concern for young people anxious about career prospects. Bastian’s experiment with the technology illustrated both its productivity potential and its limitations in conveying human authenticity.

The CEO has long maintained that AI should enhance work rather than replace the human qualities of character and personal connection that have defined his own rise at Delta.