Why Students Walked Out as Sundar Pichai Speaks at Stanford Graduation
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
By Pranjal Gupta
New Delhi, June 16: Dozens of students walked out of Stanford University's graduation ceremony when Google CEO Sundar Pichai began delivering his keynote address.A viral video on social media platform showed students leaving the venue in protest as soon as Pichai get to the podium.
The demonstration was organised by a group called Stanford Students for Justice in Palestine, which had encouraged graduates to stage a walkout over Google's work with the US government, according to BBC. The protest follows a series of demonstrations on American university campuses. However, unlike many recent protests that have focused on artificial intelligence and fears about job losses, this action centred on Google's links to government agencies and Israel.
During his speech, Pichai largely avoided discussing the controversy. He also made a light-hearted remark about the possibility of protests. Referring to his surname, he joked that people expected the event to be difficult for him because the last two letters of his name are "AI".
Pichai, who studied at Stanford before becoming Google's chief executive, did not comment publicly on the protest.
Some protesters carried signs as they left the ceremony. One placard read, "ICE spies with Google AI", while others waved Palestinian flags. The Stanford chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine said the protest was aimed at Google's connections with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Israel.
It remains uncertain whether every student who left the ceremony was protesting for the same reason.
The incident is part of a wider trend of student protests against technology leaders appearing at graduation ceremonies. Many students have voiced concerns about the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and its potential impact on employment.
These incidents highlight growing concerns among students about the influence of artificial intelligence, its effect on future careers, and the role of major technology companies in society.
