Delta CEO used AI to write his commencement speech, then trashed it

During a commencement address at Emory University in Atlanta on Monday, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian admitted that he used artificial intelligence to write his speech.

“Out of curiosity, I asked AI to prepare the address. I was amazed at how quick and easy it was generated,” Bastian told the graduating class of more than 5,000 students.

“But I also noticed the lack of soul nor warmth it conveyed,” he said. “It was not my personal voice, and it did not express my genuine appreciation for the opportunity to impart my insights to thousands of you. You want to hear from me, not some algorithm of me.

“So, don’t worry,” he told the crowd. “I threw it away, and took pencil to paper.”

New grads are facing a turbulent job market that has been completely reshaped by AI, so Bastian’s measured words about the technology likely felt like a breath of fresh air. The CEO was met with a round of applause—a change of pace from the booing some commencement speakers have been subjected to in the last few weeks. 

For example, at the University of Central Florida last Friday, humanities department commencement speaker Gloria Caulfield, vice president of strategic alliances at Tavistock Development Co., was booed after touting AI as the “next industrial revolution.”

Bastian joined Delta in 1998 as its vice president of finance and climbed through the ranks until he became the company’s CEO in 2016. Under his tenure, Delta has grown to surpass a market capitalization of $46 billion.

Through his career, he told grads that he’s been faced with making some tough decisions (perhaps such as recently cutting snacks and drinks from hundreds of daily flights).

“Doing the right thing comes at a cost,” he told the students. “But I always prefer to think of it as an investment, a smart investment.”

“I’ve had many important decisions to make over the course of my career, and I must admit, taking a shortcut or pushing the easy button can sometimes be quite tempting,” Bastian added. “But they never yield an enduring result or an effective solution.”

Bastian didn’t promote AI tools or make promises of an “AI revolution.” Instead, he told the members of the graduating class that their most important asset is a “good name.” 

“It’s your brand,” he said. “It’s what you stand for. And there’s only one person that can take that away from you. That person is you.”

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