Three years ago this week, ChatGPT was born. It took the world by surprise and sparked extraordinary investment and excitement in AI. Today, ChatGPT is still a toddler, but public sentiment around the AI ​​boom has turned increasingly negative. This change began when OpenAI released GPT5 this summer To mixed reviewsmostly from casual users who, surprisingly, judged the system by its surface flaws rather than its core capabilities.
Since then, pundits and influencers have declared that AI progress is slowing down, that metrics have “hit a wall,” and that the entire field is just another tech bubble fueled by faded hype. In fact, many influencers have coined the dismissive phrase “AI Slope” to reduce the amazing images, documents, videos, and code that Frontier AI models generate on command.
This approach isn’t just wrong, it’s dangerous.
It makes me wonder, when all these “experts” were on irrational technology bubbles when electric scooter startups were touted as a transportation revolution and cartoon NFTs were being auctioned off to millions? They were probably too busy to buy Wasteland in the Metaverse or increasing their positions in GameStop. But when it comes to the boom, easily the most significant technological and economic change agent of the last 25 years, journalists and influencers can’t spell the word “slope” long enough.
Do we protest too much? After all, AI is more than capable of the vast majority by any objective measure Computer scientists predicted just five years ago And it is still improving at an amazing pace. The impressive leap shown by Gemini 3 is just the latest example. At the same time, McKinsey recently reported that 20% of organizations already derive tangible value from GENAI. Also, a Recent surveys A report by Deloitte indicates that 85% of organizations increased their AI investments in 2025, and 91% plan to increase again in 2026.
It does not conform to the “bubble” narrative and dismissive “slope” language. As a computer scientist and research engineer who began working with neural networks in 1989 and has since tracked progress through cold winters and warm booms, I find myself amazed almost daily by the rapidly growing capabilities of frontier AI models. When I talk with other professionals in the field, I hear similar sentiments. If anything, Rate of AI Advancement Many experts feel overwhelmed and frankly somewhat intimidated.
The perils of denial
So why is the public buying into the narrative that AI is deteriorating, that production is “sloping,” and that the AI ​​boom lacks authentic use cases? Personally, I believe it is because we have fallen into a collective state I refuseperpetuating the narratives we want to hear in the face of strong evidence to the contrary. Denial is the first stage of grief and thus a reasonable reaction to the very disturbing possibility that we humans may soon lose Cognitive dominance Here on planet earth. In other words, the suppressed AI bubble narrative is a social defense mechanism.
Trust me, I got it. I am warning about this Volatile risks And Eliminating the effects of superintelligence For more than a decade, and I also feel that AI is accelerating. The fact is, we’re rapidly moving toward a future where widely available AI systems can outperform most humans in most cognitive tasks, solving problems faster, more accurately, and yes, More creatively than any individual. I emphasize “creativity” because AI deniers often insist that certain human characteristics (especially creativity and emotional intelligenceJeez Will always be out of reach of AI systems. Unfortunately, there is little evidence to support this view.
On the creativity front, today’s AI models can produce content faster and with greater variation than any individual human. Critics argue that true creativity requires intrinsic motivation. I resonate with this argument but find it circular – we are defining creativity by how we experience it rather than how we experience it. Also, we simply don’t know whether the AI ​​system will develop intrinsic drives or a sense of agency. Either way, if AI can produce original work that rivals most human professionals, Effects on creative jobs Still would be pretty devastating.
AI manipulation problem
Our human edge is even more uncertain around emotional intelligence. It is likely that AI will soon be able to read our emotions faster and more accurately than any human, Be aware of subtle cues In our micro-expressions, vocal patterns, posture, gaze and even breathing. And as we integrate AI assistants into our phones, glasses and other wearable devices, these systems will monitor our emotional reactions throughout our day. Building a predictive model of our behavior. Without strict regulation, which is increasingly unlikely, these predictive models could be used to target us Individually enhanced effect which maximizes persuasion.
It is called AI manipulation problem And it suggests that emotional intelligence may not benefit humanity. In fact, it can be a significant weakness, which promotes one Asymmetric dynamic Where AI systems can study with us Superhuman accuracywhile we cannot read AI at all. When you interact with photorealistic AI agents (and you will) you’ll see a smiling paraplegic designed to appear warm, sympathetic, and trustworthy. It will feel and feel to the person, but it is only an illusion, and it can easily happen Press your point of view. After all, faces are our emotional reactions Visceral anxiety Millions of years of evolution on a planet where every interactive human face we encountered was actually human. Soon, that will no longer be true.
We are fast moving towards a world where many of the faces we encounter will belong to AI agents Hiding behind digital facades. In fact, it “Virtual Interpreter“There could easily be introductions that are designed for each of us based on our previous reactions — whatever allows us to improve our guard. And yet many insist that AI is just another tech cycle.”
This is wishful thinking. The massive investment in AI isn’t driven by hype — it’s driven by the expectation that AI will permeate every aspect of daily life, embodied as the intelligent actors we engage with throughout our day. This system will do Help usteach us and Influence us. They will reshape our lives, and it will happen faster than most people think.
Clearly, we are not observing an AI bubble filling with empty gas. We’re seeing a new planet form, a molten world rapidly forming, and it will stabilize. A new AI-powered society. Denial will not stop him. It will only make us less prepared for the dangers.
Louis Rosenberg Augmented reality and the long-standing AI researcher are early adopters.