Semafor Column Advises Commencement Speakers to Skip AI Topics

A Semafor column published May 20, 2026, recommends that commencement speakers avoid mentioning artificial intelligence when addressing the Class of 2026. The column states that graduates have faced a global pandemic, climate change, and wars in Ukraine and Iran. It adds that recent advances in software automation are reducing entry-level job opportunities.

The column lists several topics speakers should avoid, including software, robots, data centers, chips, gas turbines, self-driving cars, and agents. It also advises against references to snacks, tokens, bits, prompts, and recipes. The piece proposes alternative subjects such as love, friendship, naps, sunsets, dogs, and food.

It notes that speakers should specify real dogs that do not run on batteries.

The column references a New York Times opinion piece by Michelle Goldberg that discussed American attitudes toward AI. Goldberg wrote that Americans appear to dislike AI more than people in other countries because they view the government as unable to manage its effects.

The column concludes that speakers who choose to address AI should adopt a cautious tone similar to the character Sarah Connor from the Terminator film series.