Will.i.am speaks to Pali High students about embracing technology

will.i.am
will.i.am arrives at the Beats and Bytes Happy Hour with Snapdragon during SXSW at TenTen on March 11, 2025 in Austin, Texas. Photo credit Mat Hayward/Getty Images for Qualcomm

Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.i.am left a big impression on Palisades Charter High School students at a Q&A on Wednesday.

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The singer, record producer, and Pali High alumni, who once rode the bus to school from Boyle Heights, spoke with graduating seniors about their future at the Skirball Cultural Center.

“I come up to Palisades quite often when I’m home,” he told KNX News’ Nataly Tavidian. “When I started thinking about just the fires and what it did to the community, it’s just mind-boggling.”

Will.i.am said he got into tech because of music, saying computers were his instrument. He’s since launched several tech companies and supported robotics programs for students.

But he warned students that not all jobs are AI-proof.

“What is AI-proof is the ability to unearth tomorrow’s industries utilizing science, technology, engineering, mathematics and AI,” he said.

Will.i.am pledged to help the Pali High robotics club replace the equipment that was destroyed in the Palisades Fire.

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Featured Image Photo Credit: Mat Hayward/Getty Images for Qualcomm