What AI Bubble? Top Trends in Tech and Jobs in 2026

Dec 22, 2025

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Are companies preparing for an AI-powered future or reacting out of fear of being left behind?

Looking ahead to 2026, Geoff Nielson and Jeremy Roberts sit down for an unfiltered conversation about artificial intelligence, the economy, and the future of work. As AI hype accelerates across markets, boardrooms, and headlines, they ask the hard questions many leaders and workers are quietly worrying about: Are we in an AI bubble? If so, what happens when expectations collide with reality?

This episode explores whether today’s massive investment in AI, GPUs, infrastructure, copilots, and generative tools is laying the foundation for long-term value or repeating the familiar patterns of past tech bubbles like the dot-com boom and the subprime mortgage crisis. Geoff and Jeremy break down why traditional metrics like price-to-earnings ratios matter, why Nvidia and big tech dominate the narrative, and why the real risk may not be collapse but widespread underperformance.

The conversation goes far beyond markets. They dig into the impact of AI on jobs, layoffs, and corporate restructuring, challenging the idea that AI is “taking jobs” versus being used as convenient cover for economic tightening. From IT, HR, and operations to customer-facing roles, they examine how AI could reshape workforce composition, accelerate automation, and create a new and potentially unsettling employment equilibrium. You’ll also hear a candid critique of how organizations are actually using AI today and what is to come next in 2026.

Tech Trends Report 2026: https://www.infotech.com/research/ss/tech-trends-2026?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=research

In this video:

00:00 Just add AI to everything?

03:45 Looking ahead to 2026: Nobody knows what’s coming

07:10 Are we in an AI bubble?

12:30 Comparing AI to the dot-com and 2008 crashes

18:10 Nvidia, GPUs, and the AI Gold Rush

24:20 Why AI infrastructure may be ahead of real-world use cases.

30:40 Markets untethered from reality

36:50 is AI really taking jobs or is something else happening?

43:30 The real employment question for 2026

49:40 Corporate bloat, back-office roles, and automation

56:10 Why most AI projects fail to deliver value

1:02:45 From productivity theater to real ROI

1:09:20 Faster horses vs. Real cars in AI

1:15:40 AI 2.0: Agents, experiments, and what comes next

1:22:10 The real risk ahead: Underperformance, not collapse

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