# 2026 CMU Commencement Keynote Speaker: Jensen Huang

- Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZh_0uRgrg4 (YouTube)
- Creator: Carnegie Mellon University
- Published: 2026-05-10T18:39:33.000Z
- Transcribed by Memora: 2026-08-07T03:51:20.888Z
- Canonical page: https://media-pilot-nine.vercel.app/youtube/87

> Transcript and summary produced by Memora from the publicly available
> video linked above. The original video belongs to its creator.

## Summary

Jensen Huang delivers a heartfelt commencement address at Carnegie Mellon University, intertwining personal anecdotes with a vision for the AI era. He opens by honoring mothers and reflecting on his immigrant journey—from delivering newspapers to co-founding Nvidia. He credits early failures, such as his company's near-collapse and a humbling negotiation with Sega's CEO, with teaching resilience and humility. Huang then highlights that graduates are entering the early stages of an AI revolution that CMU helped birth. He explains how AI is resetting computing by shifting from hand-coded software to neural networks that learn from data, giving rise to a new industry of 'manufacturing intelligence' that will transform every industry. Addressing fears around AI, he urges responsible stewardship through scientific advancement, thoughtful policy, and broad engagement. He rejects retreat, arguing that optimism and participation retain control. A key message is that AI democratizes programming, enabling anyone to create software and closing the technology divide. This transformation will spark massive infrastructure investment, reindustrialize America, and create opportunities for skilled trades. While tasks may be automated, jobs will evolve, and AI will amplify human capability rather than replace purpose. Huang poses that someone using AI well may outperform others, urging that children be empowered by AI. He concludes with four imperatives: advance AI safely, craft wise policies, ensure universal accessibility, and encourage everyone to engage. He calls on the Class of 2026 to build with heart and shape an abundant future.

## Key points

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## Chapters

- [0:00](https://media-pilot-nine.vercel.app/youtube/87?t=0) From Immigrant to CEO
- [7:13](https://media-pilot-nine.vercel.app/youtube/87?t=433) AI and Your Future

## Transcript

**[0:00]** President Jahanian,

**[0:02]** members of the Board of Trustees,

**[0:04]** faculty, distinguished guests, proud

**[0:06]** parents and families,

**[0:08]** and above all, the Carnegie Mellon CLASS

**[0:11]** OF 2026.

**[0:13]** >> [cheering]

**[0:15]** [applause]

**[0:17]** >> THANK YOU FOR THIS extraordinary honor.

**[0:20]** It is deeply meaningful to be here with

**[0:22]** Carnegie Mellon,

**[0:23]** one of the world's great universities,

**[0:26]** and one of the rare places

**[0:29]** that invents the future.

**[0:32]** Today is a day of pride and joy,

**[0:35]** a dream come true for you.

**[0:38]** But not only for you.

**[0:40]** Your families, teachers, mentors, and

**[0:43]** friends

**[0:44]** helped carry you here.

**[0:46]** Before we talk about the future,

**[0:49]** thank them.

**[0:51]** This day belongs to them, too.

**[0:54]** Graduates,

**[0:56]** please stand up. Stand with me.

**[0:58]** Come on, you guys.

**[1:01]** Especially,

**[1:03]** turn to your mothers and wish them a

**[1:06]** happy Mother's Day.

**[1:08]** >> [applause]

**[1:15]** >> For you,

**[1:17]** this is another step

**[1:19]** in your life. But for her,

**[1:22]** this is a dream come true.

**[1:25]** Please sit down.

**[1:31]** CMU students, like robots, take

**[1:35]** instructions one at a time.

**[1:45]** To see your graduate, to see you

**[1:50]** >> [clears throat]

**[1:52]** >> Okay, everybody, focus.

**[1:55]** I have something important to tell

**[1:56]** you.

**[1:58]** To see you graduate from one of the

**[2:00]** world's great institutions, this is her

**[2:02]** moment, too.

**[2:05]** My mom and dad are deeply proud of me,

**[2:07]** as well.

**[2:08]** My journey

**[2:10]** is their journey.

**[2:12]** I am their dream come true.

**[2:15]** And their dream

**[2:17]** was the American dream.

**[2:20]** Like many in this audience, I'm a

**[2:22]** first-generation immigrant.

**[2:24]** >> [cheering]

**[2:28]** [applause]

**[2:32]** >> My father had a dream to raise his

**[2:33]** family in America.

**[2:35]** When I was 9 years old, he sent my older

**[2:38]** brother and me to the United States.

**[2:40]** We ended up at a Baptist boarding school

**[2:43]** in Oneida, Kentucky.

**[2:45]** Coal country.

**[2:47]** A town of a few hundred people.

**[2:50]** Two years later, my parents left

**[2:52]** everything behind to join us.

**[2:55]** They came with little to nothing.

**[2:58]** My father was a chemical engineer.

**[3:00]** My mother worked as a maid at a Catholic

**[3:02]** school.

**[3:04]** She woke me up at 4:00 a.m. in the

**[3:05]** morning to deliver newspapers.

**[3:08]** My older brother got me a job as a

**[3:10]** dishwasher at Denny's.

**[3:13]** Which, at the time, felt like a major

**[3:16]** career advancement.

**[3:19]** That was my view of America.

**[3:22]** Not easy,

**[3:24]** but full of opportunities.

**[3:26]** Not a guarantee,

**[3:28]** but a chance.

**[3:30]** My parents came here because they

**[3:31]** believed America could give their

**[3:33]** children a chance.

**[3:36]** How can we not be romantic about

**[3:37]** America?

**[3:39]** I went to Oregon State University.

**[3:42]** I met my wife, Lori, when I was 17 years

**[3:44]** old. I was the youngest

**[3:46]** kid in school.

**[3:48]** We were sophomore lab partners.

**[3:51]** She was 19.

**[3:56]** >> [laughter]

**[4:00]** >> An older woman.

**[4:03]** >> [cheering]

**[4:05]** >> I beat out 250 other boys in class and

**[4:08]** won her heart.

**[4:12]** >> [applause]

**[4:17]** >> We've now been married for 40 years.

**[4:22]** >> [applause]

**[4:24]** >> We have two amazing children, both

**[4:27]** working at Nvidia.

**[4:32]** When I was 30, I started a company with

**[4:34]** Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem, two

**[4:36]** amazing computer scientists. We wanted

**[4:38]** to build a new kind of computer, one

**[4:41]** that could solve problems ordinary

**[4:43]** computers could not.

**[4:45]** We had absolutely no idea how to build a

**[4:47]** company,

**[4:48]** raise money, or run Nvidia.

**[4:51]** I just thought,

**[4:53]** "How hard could it be?"

**[4:56]** It turns out it is super hard.

**[4:59]** >> [laughter]

**[5:00]** >> Our first technology didn't even work.

**[5:03]** We ran out of money. We nearly ran out of

**[5:04]** money.

**[5:05]** At one point, I had to fly to Japan and

**[5:08]** explain to Sega's CEO

**[5:11]** that the technology they contracted us

**[5:13]** to build would not work.

**[5:16]** Asked to be released from a contract we

**[5:19]** could not complete.

**[5:22]** And then asked

**[5:24]** that they still pay us.

**[5:29]** Without the money, Nvidia would

**[5:31]** vaporize.

**[5:32]** It was embarrassing,

**[5:34]** humiliating,

**[5:36]** and one of the hardest things I have

**[5:37]** ever done.

**[5:39]** And Sega's CEO, Hayao Nakayama,

**[5:42]** said yes.

**[5:45]** I learned early that being CEO is not

**[5:47]** about power,

**[5:49]** but the responsibility

**[5:51]** that comes with keeping the company

**[5:52]** alive.

**[5:54]** And that honesty and humility

**[5:56]** can be met with generosity and kindness,

**[5:59]** even in business.

**[6:02]** We used the money to reset the company.

**[6:04]** And out of desperation, we invented new

**[6:06]** ways of designing chips and computers

**[6:09]** that we still use today.

**[6:11]** For 33 years, Nvidia had reinvented

**[6:15]** itself over and over again, each time

**[6:17]** asking,

**[6:19]** "How hard can it be?"

**[6:21]** And each time learning,

**[6:23]** "It's harder than we thought."

**[6:26]** But through those experiences, we learn

**[6:29]** never to see failure as the opposite of

**[6:32]** success.

**[6:33]** Each failure is just another learning

**[6:36]** moment, a humility moment,

**[6:39]** a character-strengthening moment. The

**[6:41]** resilience forged through setbacks is

**[6:45]** what gives you the strength to go again.

**[6:49]** Today,

**[6:51]** I am one of the longest-serving

**[6:53]** CEOs in technology.

**[6:56]** >> [applause]

**[7:01]** >> Nvidia,

**[7:03]** the body of work I share with 45,000

**[7:07]** extraordinary colleagues,

**[7:09]** is my life's work.

**[7:13]** Now, it's your time to realize your own

**[7:15]** dreams.

**[7:17]** And the timing could not be more

**[7:19]** perfect.

**[7:21]** My career started at the beginning of

**[7:23]** the PC revolution.

**[7:26]** Your career

**[7:27]** starts at the beginning of the AI

**[7:29]** revolution.

**[7:31]** I cannot imagine a more exciting time to

**[7:34]** work, to begin your life's work.

**[7:36]** AI started right here at Carnegie

**[7:39]** Mellon.

**[7:41]** >> [cheering and applause]

**[7:47]** >> I've heard countless AI jokes in the

**[7:49]** last 24 hours here at Carnegie

**[7:51]** [laughter] Mellon.

**[7:52]** Carnegie Mellon is one of the

**[7:54]** true birthplaces

**[7:56]** of artificial intelligence and robotics.

**[7:59]** In the 1950s, researchers here created

**[8:02]** the Logic Theorist, widely recognized

**[8:06]** and considered the first AI computer

**[8:09]** program.

**[8:10]** In 1979, Carnegie Mellon founded the

**[8:13]** Robotics Institute.

**[8:15]** This morning I visited

**[8:17]** >> [cheering]

**[8:18]** >> This morning I visited with Robo Club.

**[8:21]** The first academic institute devoted

**[8:23]** entirely to robotics. Artificial

**[8:26]** intelligence has gone on now

**[8:29]** to reinvent computing completely.

**[8:32]** I have lived through every major

**[8:34]** computing platform shift.

**[8:36]** Mainframes, PCs, the internet, mobile,

**[8:40]** and cloud.

**[8:41]** Each wave

**[8:43]** built on the one before.

**[8:45]** Each

**[8:46]** expanded access, each transformed

**[8:49]** industries and society, but what is

**[8:51]** about to happen now is bigger than

**[8:54]** anything before.

**[8:56]** Computing is undergoing a complete

**[8:58]** reset.

**[8:59]** Not since modern computing was first

**[9:02]** invented.

**[9:04]** For 60 years

**[9:05]** computing worked the same way.

**[9:08]** Humans wrote software.

**[9:10]** Computers executed instructions.

**[9:13]** That paradigm is over.

**[9:16]** Artificial intelligence

**[9:18]** has reinvented computing. From human

**[9:20]** coding to machine learning.

**[9:22]** From software running on CPUs to neural

**[9:24]** networks running on GPUs.

**[9:26]** And from following instructions

**[9:29]** to understanding,

**[9:31]** reasoning, planning, and using tools.

**[9:34]** A new industry has emerged

**[9:38]** to manufacture intelligence at scale.

**[9:43]** Because intelligence is

**[9:45]** foundational to every industry,

**[9:48]** every industry will change.

**[9:52]** For many,

**[9:54]** AI creates uncertainty.

**[9:57]** People see AI writing software,

**[9:58]** generating images, driving cars,

**[10:02]** and naturally wonder

**[10:03]** what happens next.

**[10:05]** Will jobs disappear?

**[10:07]** Will people be left behind?

**[10:10]** Will this technology become too

**[10:11]** powerful?

**[10:14]** Every major technological revolution in

**[10:17]** history

**[10:18]** created fear alongside opportunity.

**[10:22]** When society engages technology openly,

**[10:25]** responsibly, and optimistically,

**[10:28]** we expand human potential

**[10:31]** far more than we diminish it.

**[10:35]** So, first and above all,

**[10:37]** we must be clear-eyed.

**[10:39]** Artificial intelligence,

**[10:42]** the automation of understanding,

**[10:44]** reasoning, and problem-solving,

**[10:46]** is one of the most powerful technologies

**[10:49]** humanity has ever created.

**[10:53]** And like every transformative technology

**[10:55]** before it,

**[10:56]** it will bring both great promise and

**[10:59]** real risks.

**[11:02]** The responsibility of our generation

**[11:06]** is not only to advance AI,

**[11:09]** but to advance it wisely.

**[11:12]** Scientists and engineers have a profound

**[11:14]** responsibility to advance AI

**[11:16]** capabilities and AI safety

**[11:19]** together.

**[11:21]** Policy makers,

**[11:23]** >> [applause]

**[11:27]** [applause]

**[11:29]** >> policy makers have a responsibility to

**[11:32]** create thoughtful guardrails that

**[11:34]** protect society while still allowing

**[11:36]** innovation,

**[11:38]** discovery, and progress to move forward.

**[11:43]** History shows

**[11:44]** that societies that retreat from

**[11:47]** technology

**[11:49]** do not stop progress.

**[11:51]** They only surrender the opportunity to

**[11:54]** shape it

**[11:56]** and to benefit from it.

**[11:58]** So, the answer is not to fear the

**[12:00]** future.

**[12:01]** The answer is to guide it wisely, build

**[12:04]** it responsibly, and ensure that it

**[12:07]** benefits reach as many people as

**[12:09]** possible.

**[12:10]** We should not teach fear of the future.

**[12:13]** We should engage it with optimism,

**[12:16]** responsibility, and ambition.

**[12:19]** Only a fraction of the people in the

**[12:21]** world know how to write software.

**[12:24]** Now,

**[12:25]** anyone can ask AI to build something

**[12:29]** useful.

**[12:30]** A shopkeeper can create a website and

**[12:33]** grow a business.

**[12:34]** A carpenter can design a kitchen

**[12:37]** and offer new services to clients.

**[12:40]** The AI writes the code.

**[12:42]** Everyone is now a programmer.

**[12:47]** For the first time, the power of

**[12:49]** computing and intelligence can truly

**[12:50]** reach everyone and close the technology

**[12:53]** divide. The first time.

**[12:56]** And like electricity and the internet

**[12:57]** before it,

**[12:59]** AI

**[13:00]** will require trillions of dollars of

**[13:03]** infrastructure investment.

**[13:05]** This is the largest technology

**[13:07]** infrastructure buildout in human

**[13:09]** history.

**[13:10]** And a once-in-a-generation opportunity

**[13:14]** to reindustrialize America and restore

**[13:17]** the nation's capacity to build.

**[13:21]** To support AI, America will build chip

**[13:24]** factories, computer factories, data

**[13:26]** centers, and advanced manufacturing

**[13:28]** facilities across the country.

**[13:30]** AI gives America

**[13:33]** the opportunity to build again.

**[13:36]** Electricians, plumbers, ironworkers,

**[13:38]** technicians, builders,

**[13:41]** this is your time.

**[13:44]** AI is not just creating a new computing

**[13:46]** industry, it is creating a new

**[13:48]** industrial era.

**[13:50]** Powering this new infrastructure

**[13:53]** will require enormous amounts of energy.

**[13:57]** But it is also

**[13:59]** driving one of the largest investments

**[14:01]** in energy infrastructure in generations.

**[14:05]** Modernizing the grid, expanding power

**[14:08]** generation,

**[14:09]** and accelerating

**[14:11]** sustainable energy.

**[14:14]** And yes,

**[14:16]** AI will change every job.

**[14:19]** But the task and the purpose of a job

**[14:22]** are not the same.

**[14:24]** Many tasks will be automated. Some jobs

**[14:28]** will disappear.

**[14:29]** But many new jobs and entire new

**[14:32]** industries will be created.

**[14:34]** Software coding tasks are increasingly

**[14:37]** automated, but using AI, software

**[14:40]** engineers can expand the search for

**[14:42]** solutions,

**[14:44]** allowing them to tackle far more

**[14:46]** ambitious challenges.

**[14:48]** Analyzing radiology scans is

**[14:50]** increasingly automated.

**[14:52]** But using AI, radiologists are elevated

**[14:56]** to better diagnose disease and care for

**[14:58]** patients.

**[15:00]** AI does not replace human purpose.

**[15:03]** It amplifies human capability.

**[15:07]** That is why even as AI writes more code

**[15:10]** and analyze more scans,

**[15:12]** demand for software engineers and

**[15:14]** radiologists continue to grow.

**[15:18]** AI

**[15:19]** is not likely to replace you.

**[15:23]** But someone using AI better than you

**[15:27]** might.

**[15:32]** So a good thought experiment is this.

**[15:37]** Do we want our children

**[15:39]** to be supercharged by AI

**[15:42]** or

**[15:43]** be left behind

**[15:45]** by those who are?

**[15:48]** No parent wants their child left behind.

**[15:51]** left behind.

**[15:53]** So let us build AI safely.

**[15:57]** Let us also imagine an optimistic

**[16:00]** future. One our children are excited to

**[16:02]** be part of, inspired to help build.

**[16:06]** So we can and must

**[16:08]** do four things at once.

**[16:11]** Advance safely,

**[16:14]** create thoughtful policies,

**[16:16]** make AI broadly accessible,

**[16:19]** and encourage everyone to engage.

**[16:22]** Everyone should have AI.

**[16:27]** Opportunity should not belong only to

**[16:29]** the people who can code.

**[16:31]** Class of 2026,

**[16:33]** you are entering the world at an

**[16:35]** extraordinary moment.

**[16:37]** A new industry is being born.

**[16:40]** A new era of science and discovery is

**[16:42]** beginning.

**[16:43]** AI is excellent, will accelerate the

**[16:46]** expansion of human knowledge and help

**[16:48]** solve problems once beyond our reach.

**[16:51]** We have the opportunity to close the

**[16:53]** technology divide

**[16:55]** and bring the power of computing and

**[16:57]** intelligence to billions of people for

**[16:58]** the very first time.

**[17:00]** To reindustrialize America and restore

**[17:03]** our capacity to build.

**[17:05]** And to help create a future more

**[17:07]** abundant, more capable, and more hopeful

**[17:10]** than the world you inherited.

**[17:12]** No generation

**[17:14]** has entered the world with more powerful

**[17:17]** tools

**[17:19]** or

**[17:20]** greater opportunities than you.

**[17:23]** We are all standing at the same starting

**[17:25]** line.

**[17:27]** This is your moment to help shape what

**[17:30]** comes next.

**[17:32]** So run, don't walk.

**[17:35]** Carnegie Mellon

**[17:38]** has a motto I love.

**[17:41]** My heart is in the work.

**[17:43]** >> [cheering]

**[17:44]** [applause]

**[17:50]** >> So put your heart in the work.

**[17:54]** Build something worthy of your

**[17:56]** education, your potential,

**[17:59]** and the people who believed in you

**[18:02]** long before the world did.

**[18:05]** Congratulations, Carnegie Mellon Class

**[18:07]** of 2026.

**[18:09]** >> [cheering]

**[18:09]** [applause]

**[18:19]** [applause]