Ai Boom To Hit Crossroads In 2026 Pressreader

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 27, 2025, 12:40 PM

ai boom to hit crossroads in 2026 pressreader

OpenAI has been an industry leader in the large language model space, but competition is tightening with a host of other companies in the fray After three years of breakneck growth and soaring valuations, the AI industry enters 2026 with some of the euphoria giving way to tough questions. Money is pouring into artificial intelligence, with spending expected to reach more than $2 trillion worldwide in 2026, according to the consulting firm Gartner. But concern is growing. Stock markets are closely monitoring tech giants Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Nvidia, and startups like OpenAI, amid fears of a speculative bubble. Several major investors -- including Japan's SoftBank and Peter Thiel --divested Nvidia shares in mid-November.

Don't miss out! Get your daily dose of sports news straight to your phone. Join YEN's Sports News channel on WhatsApp now! After three years of breakneck growth and soaring valuations, the AI industry enters 2026 with some of the euphoria giving way to tough questions. Money is pouring into artificial intelligence, with spending expected to reach more than $2 trillion worldwide in 2026, according to the consulting firm Gartner. But concern is growing.

Stock markets are closely monitoring tech giants Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Nvidia, and startups like OpenAI, amid fears of a speculative bubble. Several major investors -- including Japan's SoftBank and Peter Thiel --divested Nvidia shares in mid-November. Listen to this article in summarized format (Catch all the Technology News News, and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) When OpenAI declared a “code red” this month to refocus its teams on competing with Google, I couldn’t help but think back to December three years ago when the companies’ roles were reversed. Google was the one blasting the sirens to catch up to OpenAI.

What followed the next month, in January 2023, were the first sweeping layoffs in Google’s history. “A difficult decision to set us up for the future,” as the company described it at the time. I wonder whether the ChatGPT developer could make similar workforce cuts early next year. This speculation inspired me to come up with a whole set of predictions about what might come in the year ahead. Here’s a look at six of the ideas, fine-tuned with the real intelligence of WIRED colleagues. Communities across the world are fighting the construction of data centers.

In the US, many activists are organizing on social media using tools such as Facebook Groups. The Chinese and Russian governments continue to exploit social media to disseminate disinformation masquerading as real news and authentic opinion. Slowing data center development in the US would be a boon for China and Russia, which are both seeking to surpass the US in industrial and military AI capabilities. Austin Wang, a researcher at the nonprofit think tank RAND who has studied China-controlled propaganda farms, says there’s no signs of concerning activity right now. “Many newly established anti-data-center pages seem controlled by real US citizens so far,” Wang says. But as the anti-data-center fervor picks up, China and Russia could try to pile on to the grassroots organizing.

And the work has gotten even easier thanks to AI that can quickly generate images and videos to rile up people on social media.

Ai Boom To Hit Crossroads In 2026 Pressreader

People Also Search

OpenAI Has Been An Industry Leader In The Large Language

Don't Miss Out! Get Your Daily Dose Of Sports News

Stock Markets Are Closely Monitoring Tech Giants Apple, Microsoft, Google,

What Followed The Next Month, In January 2023, Were The

In The US, Many Activists Are Organizing On Social Media