By Sanya Mansoor
Publication Date: 2026-05-26 08:00:00
WWhen Jacob Pagel graduated from Middle Tennessee State University this spring, artificial intelligence predictions were already doubting the value of his degree. Then a music executive began preaching about the transformative power of AI during a keynote speech.
“This industry is going to change dramatically. It has already changed more in the last 10 years than it has in the previous 50… As we sit here, AI is rewriting production,” said Scott Borchetta, CEO of record label Big Machine. After a few scattered boos from graduates, he reiterated: “Deal with it.”
The students’ mockery grew louder, but Borchetta pushed through: “You can hear me now or pay me later… and then do something about it. It’s a tool. Make it work for you.” He continued, “The things you learned in your first year here may already be outdated.”
Borchetta’s comments were “a knife in the chest,” says Pagel, who studied political science and human development…
