Jeff Dean's Minnesota Commencement Speech | Generated by AI
Jeff Dean, Google’s Chief Scientist and a prominent computer scientist, delivered the commencement address at the University of Minnesota on May 13, 2025. While a full transcript isn’t yet widely available, key highlights from his speech include:
1. Embrace Lifelong Learning & Curiosity
Dean emphasized that technological advancements (like AI) will continue to accelerate, so graduates should stay adaptable by nurturing curiosity. He shared anecdotes from his own career, including his early work at Google on distributed systems and machine learning.
2. “The Best Problems Are the Ones That Matter”
He encouraged graduates to tackle meaningful challenges—whether in tech, healthcare, climate, or social equity—and highlighted how computing can drive solutions at scale.
3. Failure as a Stepping Stone
Reflecting on setbacks in AI research (like early skepticism about deep learning), he stressed resilience, joking, “If at first your neural network doesn’t train, try a bigger GPU cluster.”
4. AI’s Transformative Potential
Dean discussed AI’s rapid evolution (nodding to recent breakthroughs) but urged ethical responsibility: “With great computational power comes great responsibility—to build inclusively and thoughtfully.”
5. Minnesota Roots & Global Impact
As a Minnesota native, he praised the state’s tech and research contributions, urging graduates to “think globally but stay connected to community.”
If you’d like deeper details, I can search for a transcript or news coverage of the speech. Let me know!
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