At a pre-commencement gathering on Wednesday, comedian Ronnie Chen drew cheers from Harvard graduates when he proclaimed, “AI is crap.” His remarks included, “Ultimately, AI just makes mediocre people less intelligent,” as noted during the Class Day event for the graduating Class of 2026.
Chen expressed his thoughts passionately, stating, “While we’re discussing AI, let me say this: Forget AI! Forget AI! Forget AI!” This outburst came during his speech held the day before the school’s commencement ceremony.
His words resonated with the audience, resulting in enthusiastic responses from the graduates.
“I’m thrilled you all agree,” he said playfully, adding, “I had a different speech ready in case you booed, but that’s not necessary now.”
“AI is terrible. It’s really terrible,” Chen remarked while crumpling a piece of paper in front of him. “It’s just dumb. Have you ever tried it? It’s always incorrect.”
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The actor then shared a humorous anecdote: “I asked the AI, ‘What’s the quickest route from New York City to Harvard?’ and it suggested I take FlixBus… as a movie star, I don’t ride buses. Really?”
“I know some of you might be thinking, ‘What about using AI for breakthroughs in fields like medicine and physics?'” Well, first, chill out, nerds! That’s not my focus,” Chen quipped.
“If you’re using it for those purposes, the issue isn’t with you,” he elaborated. “I’m more concerned about the cognitive debt accumulating from the excessive use of large language models, referencing a 2025 MIT study.”
“That’s right, MIT.” Chen remarked dismissively. “I suppose you were too busy handing out A’s. Feel free to boo at MIT, AI, and, honestly, yourselves.”
Chen then shifted tone a bit, asserting, “I want to stress that your generation’s task is to dismantle AI.”
He encouraged the graduates to “make an impact,” emphasizing, “AI only serves to make mediocre individuals less capable.”
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“Have you ever listened to uninspiring individuals bragging about their use of AI?” he questioned. “You know, they often say, ‘My AI can read my emails, summarize them, and draft replies?'”
“Well, guess what? I can do that too. If you can’t manage that, how ineffective are you?” he added.
Chen pointed out that reliance on AI means “missing the essence” of creativity, emphasizing that “the joy lies in the process of creating.”
“The journey is crucial, not just a means to learn a skill,” he concluded with enthusiasm, “That’s correct!”
