Rachel Dratch brings back Debbie Downer to joke about AI and data centers in Dartmouth speech to grads Rachel Dratch, reprising her iconic Debbie Downer character, delivered a commencement speech at Dartmouth College, humorously addressing the impact of AI on future job prospects. She quipped that AI would leave graduates with mandatory gap years and suggested foraging and hand-to-hand combat as the most useful college majors. Dratch also received an honorary doctorate from Dartmouth, joking about completing her degree in less time than it takes to prompt an LLM.

• Rachel Dratch used her Debbie Downer character in a Dartmouth commencement speech.
• She joked that AI will eliminate jobs, leading to mandatory gap years for graduates.
• Dratch suggested foraging and hand-to-hand combat as the most relevant college majors due to AI and impending water wars.
• AI’s impact on careers is a recurring theme at commencement ceremonies.
• A Pew Research Center poll indicates a generally negative public sentiment towards AI’s impact on daily life.
• Dratch also received an honorary doctorate from Dartmouth, comparing the time to earn it with prompting an LLM. Continue reading https://www.businessinsider.com/rachel-dratch-dartmouth-commencement-speech-debbie-downer-ai-data-centers-2026-6