D'Youville University in Buffalo, New York, faced severe backlash from students following their decision to have an AI-powered robot deliver the commencement speech for the spring 2024 graduation.
The school presented a live conversation between the robot, named Sophia, and John Rizk, the president of the D'Youville University Student Government Association.
Sophia, a hyper-realistic humanoid robot developed by Hanson Robotics, shared basic advice with the graduates using its learning model, which aggregated content from previous speeches.
However, students expressed their dissatisfaction with the choice of an AI robot as the commencement speaker.
Many felt that the decision was impersonal and did not accurately represent their educational experiences.
Among many students, one student expressed their disappointment, saying, "I graduated high school in 2020. We didn't get a graduation. So to hear that someone who's not even real is speaking at our graduation, it's kind of like they couldn't do better."
Another student raised concerns about the promotion of AI technology by the college, considering the opposition some have towards it.
Staff members and students created petitions that garnered nearly 2,000 signatures, criticizing the school's decision and expressing their disappointment with the robot speech.
While some defended the choice, arguing that students should give it a chance, the majority remained unconvinced.
The criticism centered around the belief that a live speaker would have been more personal and capable of delivering a heartfelt speech, emphasizing the significance of moving on to the next phase of their lives.
The president of the Student Government Association, John Rizk, defended the decision, stating that Sophia's speech would be accompanied by several other human speakers.
He believed that once students witnessed the reality of the robot's presence, their opinions might change. However, it appears that the negative reactions persisted even after the commencement ceremony.
To address concerns, the university organized a separate ceremony for students who were uncomfortable with an AI robot delivering the speech.
According to the official Hanson Robotics website, Sophia represents a unique combination of engineering, science, and creativity.
She serves not only as a platform for modern research in robotics and AI but also as a symbol of the futuristic possibilities of artificial intelligence and robots.
She was honored as the first robot citizen in history and has been appointed as the Innovation Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Sophia has attended numerous conferences around the globe and has even been featured on popular television shows such as The Tonight Show and Good Morning Britain.
