Eric Schmidt was booed off the stage at the University of Arizona commencement after telling graduates that A.I. would touch everything. He was not alone. A week earlier, Gloria Caulfield faced similar jeers. This public hostility reflects a generation-wide trend where optimism is scarce.

The backlash is fueled by economic realities. 120,000 A.I.-linked job losses have hit the U.S. since last year, while 18 percent of Gen Z views the technology hopefully. Politicians like Bernie Sanders are calling for moratoriums on data centers, and the industry is countering by spending heavily on political influence through super PACs, further alienating the public.

The core issue is a failure of political infrastructure. Unlike Nordic nations or Japan, the U.S. lacks mechanisms to ensure A.I. benefits workers. With the labor movement weakened and corporations cutting benefits to fund A.I. expansion, recent graduates face an opaque, unfriendly job market that confirms their worst fears.