Three years ago, ChatGPT was born. This took the world by surprise and sparked unprecedented investment and excitement in AI. Currently, ChatGPT is still in its infancy, but public opinion about the AI boom is rapidly becoming negative. This transition began when OpenAI released GPT-5 this summer. to various reviewsMost of them, understandably, come from ordinary users who judge the system by its superficial flaws rather than its fundamental features.
Since then, experts and influencers have declared that advances in AI are slowing, that scaling is “hitting a wall,” and that the entire field is just another tech bubble inflated by overhype. In fact, many influencers cling to the derogatory phrase “AI slop” to belittle the amazing images, documents, videos, and code that frontier AI models produce on command.
This view is not only wrong, it is dangerous.
One wonders where all these “experts” on irrational tech bubbles were when electric scooter startups were being touted as a transportation revolution and cartoon NFTs were being auctioned off for millions of dollars. They were probably too busy buying Worthless Land of the Metaverse Or add it to the GameStop location. But when it comes to the AI boom, arguably the most important technological and economic transformative force of the past 25 years, journalists and influencers can never repeat the word “slope” enough.
Are we protesting too much? After all, by any objective measure, AI is far more capable than most humans. Computer scientists predicted just five years ago And it continues to improve at an astonishing pace. The impressive leap forward demonstrated by Gemini 3 is just the latest example. At the same time, McKinsey recently reported that 20% of organizations are already deriving tangible value from genAI. Also, recent research According to Deloitte research, 85% of organizations will increase their AI investments in 2025, and 91% will increase again in 2026.
This does not apply to “bubble” narratives or negative “vulgar” language. As a computer scientist and research engineer, I began researching neural networks in 1989 and have tracked their progress through cold winters and hot booms ever since, and am amazed almost every day by the rapidly improving capabilities of frontier AI models. When I talk to other experts in this field, I hear similar opinions. If you need anything, AI progress rate Many professionals are feeling overwhelmed and frankly a little scared.
The danger of denying AI
So why do the general public buy into the narrative that AI is stagnant, that its achievements are “sluggish” and that the AI boom lacks serious use cases?Personally, I believe it’s because we have fallen into a collective state. Denial of AIclinging to the stories we want to hear in the face of strong evidence to the contrary. Denial is the first stage of grief and is therefore a rational response to the very disturbing prospect of what we as a species may soon lose. cognitive advantage here on earth. In other words, the hyperbolic AI bubble narrative is society’s defense mechanism.
Trust me, I get it. I have warned you about Risk of instability and The demoralizing effects of superintelligence For more than a decade, I too have felt that AI is becoming too smart too quickly. In fact, we are rapidly moving toward a future where widely available AI systems will be able to outperform most humans at most cognitive tasks and solve problems faster and more accurately. Be more creative More than anyone else. I emphasize “creativity” because AI deniers often claim specific human qualities, especially creativity and emotional intelligence.) It is always beyond the reach of AI systems. Unfortunately, there is little evidence to support this view.
In terms of creativity, today’s AI models can generate content faster and with more variation than individual humans. Critics argue that true creativity requires internal motivation. I sympathize with that argument, but I think it’s circular. We define creativity based not on the quality, originality, or usefulness of the product, but on how it is experienced. We also don’t know if AI systems will develop any internal drive or sense of agency. In any case, if AI can produce original work that rivals most human experts; Impact on creative work It’s still going to be pretty devastating.
AI operation problem
Our human advantage in emotional intelligence is even more precarious. AI will soon be able to read our emotions faster and more accurately than humans. track subtle clues Our microexpressions, our voice patterns, our posture, our gaze, and even our breathing. And as we integrate AI assistants into our phones, glasses, and other wearable devices, these systems will monitor our emotional responses throughout the day. Building a predictive model About our actions. Without strict regulation, these predictive models could be used to target us, although this becomes increasingly unlikely. Individually optimized influence That maximizes persuasive power.
this is called AI operation problem And it suggests that emotional intelligence may not give humanity an advantage. In fact, it can be a significant weakness and add to the problem. asymmetric dynamic Where AI systems can read us superhuman precisionOn the other hand, we can’t read AI at all. When talking to a photorealistic AI agent (and you will) You’ll see a smiling façade designed to appear warm, empathetic, and trustworthy. Although they look and feel human, that is just an illusion and can easily become that way. shake your perspective. After all, our emotional responses to faces are visceral reflex Shaped by millions of years of evolution on a planet where every interactive human face we encounter is actually human. Soon, that will no longer be true.
We are rapidly heading towards a world where many of the faces we encounter will belong to AI agents. Hiding behind a digital facade. In fact, these “virtual publicist“It is easy to have a look designed for each of us, based on our prior reactions.Nevertheless, many argue that AI is just a technological cycle.
This is wishful thinking. The huge investments being poured into AI are not driven by hype. It is driven by the expectation that AI will permeate every aspect of daily life and embody us as intelligent actors with whom we engage throughout the day. These systems are please help ustell us, influence us. They will rebuild our lives, and it will happen sooner than most people think.
To be clear, we are not witnessing an AI bubble filling up with empty gas. We watch new planets form and molten worlds rapidly take shape and solidify. A new society utilizing AI. Denying it won’t stop this. It only makes us less prepared for risk.
Louis Rosenberg He was an early pioneer in augmented reality and has been conducting AI research for many years.
