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Delta CEO Ed Bastian Says He Used AI to Draft but Ultimately Hand-Wrote His Emory Commencement Speech
The 68-year-old airline executive told graduates he asked artificial intelligence to draft his address but found it lacked soul and warmth. Bastian threw away the draft, wrote the speech by hand and received applause when he revealed the decision. He drew on his career path from auditor to CEO of the $45 billion company to urge the class of 2026 to protect their personal brand and character.
May 12, 11:10 AM·2m read1 source
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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.
