SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Talk of an AI bubble has been prevalent of late, with many drawing comparisons to the dot-com bubble of the late Nineties and subsequent burst. Seemingly inflated stock values, lack of clearly articulated business plans, an increasing string of circular investments have all raised fears of a bubble.
Last summer, a study from MIT raised eyebrows when it revealed that of all the companies that had invested in AI, 95% of them had yet to see a measurable return.
Fears of an AI bubble are now apparently so prominent that even the technology itself is beginning to think there’s an AI bubble. Those are the findings of a new report in Forbes in which the publication asked seven of the leading artificial intelligence chatbots, “In 100 words or fewer, do you believe there is an ‘AI bubble?'”
In the report, Forbes asked the question to OpenAI, ChatGPT, xAI, Grok, Meta AI, Anthropic’s Claude, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini. The chatbots were divided in their views.
Grok, Elon Musk’s AI, agreed there was, telling Forbes, “Yes, there’s an AI bubble,” adding that AI has “driven massive investments, inflated valuations and unrealistic expectations, reminiscent of the dot-com bubble.” Grok also said that many AI startups “lack sustainable business models” and that the “gap between promised breakthroughs and actual deliverables is growing.”
On a positive note, Grok did note that “AI’s transformative potential remains real.”
ChatGPT, meanwhile, the most popular AI chatbot, responded “yes and no.” The OpenAI chatbot continued that while we are seeing “classic bubble behavior,” including “undeniably high” investment, “AI is already delivering real utility across industries.”
Two other chatbots, Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot, said that while there were signs of an emerging bubble, it was not here yet.
The final three AIs queried seemed to doubt whether there was an AI bubble. Meta AI reportedly took a “neutral both-sides” view, citing “overinflated valuations and potential failure to deliver returns,” but also mentioning “genuine innovation” and “potential for significant productivity gains.”
Google’s Gemini AI said that it’s “debatable whether there is a full-blown AI bubble,” while acknowledging “speculative excess in parts of the market.”
Claude, meanwhile, said there were signs of an AI bubble, but that “AI is already delivering real value.”
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