I was in shock.

Sitting at the University of Arizona Wildcat Stadium for the first time in 30 years. I came to every football game when I was in grad school here, and they won every home game. It’s surreal being here now with my wife, watching our son Ronan receive his Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering. Congrats Ronan!

I was excited to hear Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, give the commencement address. I knew there was some controversy, as he had recently been accused of sexual harassment, and so I wasn’t surprised when a minority of students booed when he was introduced.

AI is just one disruption impacting the class of 2026

But the boos didn’t stop. In fact, they got louder every time Dr. Schmidt mentioned AI. Students felt Schmidt was out of touch with their reality.

Many in the college grad class of 2026 were in high school from 2018 through 2022 during the pandemic, and lost two key years of in-person learning and personal growth. When they entered college, genAI’s capabilities were known only to OpenAI and a few invited insiders. I am certain many of these college grads leveraged genAI tools to complete their coursework, some to guide their learning, though some probably crossed ethical boundaries.

Many in the class of 2026 did not expect AI to decimate their job opportunities or to radically disrupt the types of work they expected to do after graduation. “There is a fear in your generation that the future has already been written, that the machines are coming, that the jobs are evaporating, that the climate is breaking, that politics are fractured, and that you are inheriting a mess that you did not create,” Schmidt said.

I’m disappointed that my alma mater treated Dr. Schmidt this way. Thank you, UofA, for inviting him to speak. But I’m also empathetic to how AI, global uncertainties, the declining U.S. economy, and the increasing cost of living have impacted the class of 2026.

“The future is not yet finished. It is now your turn to shape it,” added Schmidt. That’s really hard to do when corporations aren’t hiring them.

C-level leaders are burning their future

Entry-level roles have been most impacted by AI’s productivity gains and workflow efficiencies.

But as we discussed at a recent Coffee With Digital Trailblazers, shutting off the flow of entry-level talent into the enterprise will create a future leadership debt. While enterprises are developing knowledge bases to enable AI agents, they may also be losing the subject-matter expertise that established today’s business processes. Who will validate an AI agent’s accuracy, challenge assumptions, or drive innovations without new talent joining during AI’s prime years of impact? 

And bear in mind that AI is only reshaping business – it’s not transforming it yet.

My recommendation to the C-suite is to hire 2026 graduates as they’ve endured more than many past generations. Then develop apprenticeship programs to accelerate their learning of the business and help them find roles where they can collaborate on AI. Enterprises looking for “AI Natives” can’t afford to miss out on recruiting this class, which has learned and leveraged AI more than many employees.

What the class of 2026 should do to find jobs

Class of 2026: Don’t be so hard on yourself; many college grads don’t come out of school with offers in hand. But don’t blame AI, the economy, or politics for being dealt a weak hand.

Instead, be Wayne Gretzky and look for where the puck is moving.

You may be coding less, but there’s still a lot of engineering work required to plan, deliver, and drive technology change. Your marketing role will require a range of digital skills, and you will have the opportunity to manage end-to-end campaigns much earlier in your career. Finance will be less about crunching numbers and spreadsheets and more about analysis and fiscally smart decision-making. Review the emerging roles in the genAI era, including new opportunities for AI wellness leaders, ecosystem networkers, AI architects, and library science specialists.

Most important of all – continue your learning, question everything, vote, and look for the opportunities to augment what you want to do where AI can be your partner.

Bear down.