The ladies of The View are officially divided over artificial intelligence — and Joy Behar is sounding the alarm.

The hot-button debate erupted after a viral graduation clip showed a student getting booed for praising AI during a commencement speech. The moment sparked a fiery discussion on the Thursday, May 21, episode of the ABC talk show, where the co-hosts argued over whether the technology is a tool for the future or a terrifying threat to millions of American workers.

Whoopi Goldberg kicked off the conversation by admitting she may have misread how young people feel about the rise of AI.

“I think people really think young people are all about AI,” Goldberg said. “I’m starting to believe they’re really not digging it.”

Alyssa Farah Griffin quickly agreed, saying AI has become a major issue for younger voters who are already worried about debt, the job market, and whether their college degrees will even matter.

Griffin said many young Americans have been told for years that a degree is the key to success, only to graduate into a world where they are now being warned that AI may take the jobs they were promised.

“Commencement speakers basically saying, ‘You’re going to be written out by AI,’ that’s so scary to tell a young person,” Griffin said.

She argued that the message should be more balanced. Instead of scaring graduates, she said speakers should tell them that AI is here to stay, that they need to learn how to use it, and that there are still human qualities no machine can replace.

Griffin pointed to empathy, judgment, and creativity as areas where people still have the edge — though she admitted the speed of AI’s development is part of what makes it so unnerving.

“It’s getting close,” she said. “That’s the scary thing.”

That was when Behar took the conversation in an even darker direction.

The longtime View co-host wondered what would happen if AI truly does wipe out massive numbers of jobs — and whether the people in power have any real plan for the fallout.

“I would like to know what the rulers of this country plan to do when 80 percent of the world is out of work?” Behar asked.

She then delivered a grim warning about where she believes the country is headed.

“All I hear is destruction in this country,” Behar said. “I don’t hear anything that sounds like they’re building us up.”

But Sunny Hostin pushed back with a much more practical take.

Hostin said she recently spoke with Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates, who made it clear that AI is not going away. Because of that, she said younger generations need to stop running from it and start learning how to work with it.

“I think Gen Z should embrace AI, but with structure,” Hostin said.

She argued that young workers may be able to use AI to help manage their careers, build new skills, and stay competitive in a changing economy.

“I don’t think it’s going to ever replace them,” Hostin added, “but they are going to have to learn how to live with it.”

Sara Haines also weighed in, saying the problem may not be AI itself — but the timing of the message.

According to Haines, a graduation ceremony should be a day when students feel celebrated, not warned that their futures could be erased by machines.

“What they need is a day where you pump their sails and their souls full of why they are special,” Haines said.

She said graduates need to be reminded that emotional intelligence, empathy, and critical thinking still matter.

“We still need people that know how to critically think,” Haines added.

The co-host said young people are already heading into a world full of pressure, uncertainty, and financial struggle — and the last thing they need during an inspirational speech is a reminder that technology may be coming for their dreams.

“They don’t need to be told over and over in an inspirational speech, ‘By the way, you don’t matter,’” Haines said.

The heated exchange showed just how divided Americans remain over AI.

For some, it is the future. For others, it is a ticking time bomb. And on The View, the fear was clear: if the machines keep getting smarter, millions of workers may soon be wondering where they fit in.