Dozens of students walked out of Stanford University's graduation ceremony as Google CEO Sundar Pichai took the stage to deliver the keynote address.

Video footage recorded by the BBC showed students leaving the event in protest against Google's controversial work with the US government. The demonstration was encouraged by a group called Stanford Students for Justice in Palestine.

The protest follows other recent campus demonstrations targeting technology leaders, although many of those have focused on artificial intelligence and concerns about its impact on jobs.

During his speech, Pichai largely avoided discussing AI, though he appeared to joke about the anticipated protests.

"People thought it would be really difficult for me," he said. "It is the last two letters of my last name, after all."

Pichai, a Stanford alumnus, did not respond to the BBC's request for comment.

The exact number of students who participated in the walkout remains unclear, but local news outlet SFGate estimated that as many as 200 students may have left the ceremony.

Some students carried signs as they exited. One sign read, "ICE spies with Google AI," while others waved Palestinian flags.

The Stanford chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) organized the walkout and urged students to protest Google's connections with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Israel.

It remains unclear whether all of the students who left the ceremony were protesting for the same reasons.

This year's protests against graduation speakers in the United States have also highlighted growing concerns among students about artificial intelligence. Speakers who discuss AI are increasingly facing negative reactions from audiences on college campuses.

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt was booed by students during his commencement address at the University of Arizona in May after speaking about the rise of AI, reflecting growing worries about its impact on employment.

"I know what many of you are feeling about that. I can hear you," Schmidt told graduates as boos echoed through the venue during remarks comparing today's AI boom to the rise of computers four decades ago.

A similar reaction greeted real estate executive Gloria Caulfield at the University of Central Florida.

"The rise of artificial intelligence is the next industrial revolution," she said as members of the audience booed.

At Middle Tennessee State University's commencement ceremony, Big Machine Records CEO Scott Borchetta also faced jeers after mentioning AI.

His response to graduates was straightforward: "Deal with it, like I said, it's a tool."

#Reports BBC