As the class of 2026 walks across the stage this graduation season, there may be no larger elephant in the room than artificial intelligence. The technology promises great innovation, but it is making young people anxious about their own career prospects and whether the four-year college grind was worth it in today’s job market. And even Fortune 500 CEOs are still navigating how to use AI meaningfully.
When Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian sat down to prepare his commencement address for Emory University, he experimented with AI as a shortcut to save time—but ultimately found the result lacking.
“In composing these remarks, out of curiosity, I asked AI to prepare the address. And I was amazed at how quick and easy it was generated,” Bastian told Emory graduates on Monday.
“But I also noticed the lack of soul nor warmth it conveyed. 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, instead of delivering a lackluster AI-powered speech, the 68-year-old scrapped the draft entirely.
“So don’t worry,” he said. “I threw it away and took pencil to paper,” drawing applause from the crowd.
Ed Bastian’s advice for Gen Z: protect your authenticity—and avoid cutting corners
In an era when companies are increasingly embracing AI to maximize productivity, some executives have gone as far as creating digital replicas of themselves. For example, CEOs at Klarna and Zoom, have experimented with AI avatars and agents capable of attending meetings or delivering messages on their behalf.
For Bastian, though, AI is best used as a tool to enhance work—not replace workers. He told graduates that authenticity and character remain among the hardest qualities for technology to replicate—and among the most important to protect.
“The most important asset that you have is your good name,” he said to graduates. “It’s your brand. It’s what you stand for. And there’s only one person that can take that away from you. That person is you.”
That message reflects a philosophy that has shaped Bastian’s own rise through corporate America. He began his career as an auditor at Price Waterhouse (now PwC) before later working at PepsiCo. He joined Delta in 1998 as a vice president of finance and was named CFO by 2005. A decade later, he was elevated to CEO and helped transform Delta into one of the airline industry’s dominant players, with a market capitalization north of $45 billion.
But, Bastian added, that as he climbed the ladder, he found out that lasting success rarely comes from shortcuts.
“Character isn’t revealed when life is easy. Character is revealed when times and decisions are hard. Many times, doing the right thing comes at a cost. But I always prefer to think of it as an investment, a smart investment,” he said.
“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. But they never yield an enduring result or an effective solution.”
People skills outshine technical abilities, according to Delta’s CEO
No matter how advanced technology becomes, the people around you remain the most important part of any career, according to Bastian.
“My best advice is to make certain that you’re taking care of the people that got you there,” he told Fortune’s Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell earlier this year.
Speaking on the Titans and Disruptors of Industry podcast, Bastian said that leadership is often framed around confidence, drive, energy, and vision—but those traits only go so far without interpersonal grounding.
“There’s also a really important attribute, and that’s humility with the willingness to actually listen more than you talk, to be able to make certain that you have an appreciation for what people do, to relate to the people,” he said.
Bastian echoed a similar message in his remarks to graduates, arguing that curiosity, humility, gratitude, and grace matter just as much as technical expertise—but admitted finding the right balance won’t always come easy.
“I’ve learned more from my failures than my successes have ever taught me,” he told graduates. “That’s where real learning occurs and confidence is born. So don’t be afraid to take that shot and bet on yourself.”
