Fareed Zakaria’s Bard College Commencement Address Highlighted on CNN and Business Insider
Journalist and author Fareed Zakaria. Photo by Samuel Stuart Hollenshead
Award winning journalist and bestselling author Fareed Zakaria, host of CNN’s flagship international affairs program and a prominent columnist for The Washington Post, was featured across media outlets for the speech he delivered at Bard College’s 166th commencement.
“He argued that the rise of AI should prompt people to think less about competing with machines and more about what makes human intelligence distinct,” writes Ben Shimkus for Business Insider, which noted that commencement speeches at other institutions of higher learning also addressed AI this year. In his speech, Zakaria focused not on what makes AI remarkable, but what it cannot do that humans can, asking, “What does AI tell us about all the things we humans already do—and that are distinctive and irreplaceable?'"
“A toddler can recognize a face instantly in poor lighting, understand tone and emotion, navigate a crowded room, learn language socially, infer intentions, and grasp context—all effortlessly,” Zakaria said at Bard’s undergraduate commencement ceremony. “Human beings can understand irony, ambiguity, affection, embarrassment, love, shame, humor, longing. We can read a room. We can sense tension in silence. We can detect insincerity in a smile.”
Post Date: 06-02-2026
“He argued that the rise of AI should prompt people to think less about competing with machines and more about what makes human intelligence distinct,” writes Ben Shimkus for Business Insider, which noted that commencement speeches at other institutions of higher learning also addressed AI this year. In his speech, Zakaria focused not on what makes AI remarkable, but what it cannot do that humans can, asking, “What does AI tell us about all the things we humans already do—and that are distinctive and irreplaceable?'"
“A toddler can recognize a face instantly in poor lighting, understand tone and emotion, navigate a crowded room, learn language socially, infer intentions, and grasp context—all effortlessly,” Zakaria said at Bard’s undergraduate commencement ceremony. “Human beings can understand irony, ambiguity, affection, embarrassment, love, shame, humor, longing. We can read a room. We can sense tension in silence. We can detect insincerity in a smile.”
Post Date: 06-02-2026