FEAR & GREED | Business News The Saturday Edition | 24 Oct 2026
Oct 23, 2026
Adam Lang, an Australian business journalist specialising in policy, markets and business trends, judges a lively debate on whether AI hype has outrun physical reality. The discussion covers cybersecurity risks, corporate greenwashing, a surge in Australian takeovers and the prospect of another rate rise. There’s also a crackdown on noisy passengers, ageing brains, a promising hair-loss pill and a spectacular judging-room walkout.
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AI Hype Meets Physical Infrastructure Limits
- AI enthusiasm is colliding with physical constraints, including difficult data-centre construction and community opposition to power infrastructure.
- NextDC cut earnings forecasts by more than a third, while its share price fell over 40% in minutes.
AI Hiccups Do Not Cancel Its Transformation
- Sean Aylmer compared AI's current disruption to railways, electricity and the internet, arguing that early failures do not invalidate transformative technology.
- He said AI's ability to discover software vulnerabilities is ultimately beneficial, despite creating new risks.
The UK Crackdown On Loud Public Transport
- Manchester mayor Andy Burnham launched a campaign requiring train passengers to use headphones and empowering authorities to fine disruptive bus and train users.
- Michael Thompson regularly changes seats when passengers play loud videos, while using noise-cancelling AirPods to escape public noise.