The AI Bubble Question: Hype, ROI, and the Future of Tech
Early Adoptr14 Tammi

The AI Bubble Question: Hype, ROI, and the Future of Tech

We're back from the holidays, and we've got a doozy of an episode. The stock market is betting everything on AI, but many organizations are still struggling to turn it into real results. So what’s actually going on?


In this episode of Early Adopter, Jess and Kyle welcome back Rich Welsh (founder, tech advisor, and VC investor) to unpack one of the biggest questions in tech right now: Is AI an overinflated bubble waiting to burst, or is capital simply flowing toward the people who know how to use it well?


From Nvidia-driven market concentration to why startups are often outpacing large enterprises, Rich breaks down where AI is delivering genuine value, where hype is distorting reality, and how founders and investors should be thinking about the next phase of adoption.


We go beyond the surface level takes to explore what happens when AI becomes business-critical, and what the risks are if expectations and reality don’t line up.



What you’ll learn:


  • Rich’s buzzword of the year (hint: it’s not agentic)
  • Why the most boring problems often make the best businesses
  • How founders can avoid the AI hype trap heading into 2026
  • Why some teams are shipping faster than ever (while others are completely stuck)
  • What an AI “bubble” would actually mean for startups, investors, and everyday people


If AI underpins your operations and the market corrects, the impact won’t stop at valuations. It could affect funding, hiring, productivity....and everyone downstream.


Whether you’re a founder, investor, or AI-curious operator, this episode will help you separate signal from noise and make more intentional decisions about where (and how) to to embrace AI.


Early Adoptr Book Club:



If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies - https://ifanyonebuildsit.com/

The Infinite Retina - https://www.amazon.com/Infinite-Retina-Computing-technologies-revolution/dp/1838824049



00:00 What We've Been Up To

05:34 Is There an AI Bubble? Separating Hype From Reality

08:25 Why AI ROI Is So Hard to Measure from an Investor's Perspective

11:14 Why Startups Are Winning With AI While Big Companies Struggle

13:56 What an AI Market Crash Would Mean

16:48 AI in Entertainment: Real ROI vs Studio-Scale Hype

27:33 The Next Phase of AI in Media, Gaming, and World-Building

35:48 From Large Language Models to World Models: What Comes Next

39:47 The Real AI Bubble: Where Expectations Break Down

51:35 How Founders Should Use AI in 2026 (Capital-Efficient Strategies)

57:37 AI News of the Week: CES Roundup

01:02:30 AI Gone Wrong: Bunnies on the Rampage

01:05:23 Wrapping Up for the Week


Follow Us:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/early_adoptr

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@early_adoptr

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/early-adoptr

Resources: https://linktr.ee/early_adoptr

Get in touch with Early Adoptr: hello@earlyadoptr.ai


Follow Us on Socials & Resources:


IG: https://instagram.com/early_adoptr

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@early_adoptr

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@early_adoptr

Substack: https://substack.com/@earlyadoptrpod

Resources: https://linktr.ee/early_adoptr

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jaksot(40)

The AI Backlash: How to Build During the Trough of Disillusionment

The AI Backlash: How to Build During the Trough of Disillusionment

From LinkedIn posts about abandoned pilots to earnings calls where CEOs walking back their AI promises on earnings calls, are we witnessing the crash after the hype? Welcome to the Trough of Disillusi...

22 Loka 202557min

AI Slop: How Low-Quality AI Content is Breaking the Internet (And Costing Businesses Millions)

AI Slop: How Low-Quality AI Content is Breaking the Internet (And Costing Businesses Millions)

The internet is drowning in AI-generated garbage. From Meta's Vibes to Sora 2 to that clearly ChatGPT generated email from your colleague, businesses are losing an estimated $9 million per 1,000 emplo...

15 Loka 202559min

The Complete AEO Toolkit (AEO Part 2: On-Site, Off-Site & Metrics)

The Complete AEO Toolkit (AEO Part 2: On-Site, Off-Site & Metrics)

OpenAI just launched "Buy It in ChatGPT" - letting users complete purchases without ever visiting your website. If you're not cited by AI engines, you don't just lose traffic. You lose the entire sale...

8 Loka 202557min

Getting Your Business Into the AI Conversation (AEO Strategy Guide)

Getting Your Business Into the AI Conversation (AEO Strategy Guide)

60% of searches now end without a click. If you're still optimizing for Google rankings while your competitors are getting cited by ChatGPT, you're already behind.Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) - al...

3 Loka 202558min

AI Hallucinations: Why AI Lies With Complete Confidence (And How to Minimise the Risk)

AI Hallucinations: Why AI Lies With Complete Confidence (And How to Minimise the Risk)

In this episode, Kyle and Jess tackle the elephant in the room that's sabotaging AI implementations everywhere: AI hallucinations. If you've ever wondered why ChatGPT confidently tells you complete no...

24 Syys 20251h

Your Business Data is Messier Than You Think (And Why That Kills AI)

Your Business Data is Messier Than You Think (And Why That Kills AI)

In this episode, Kyle and Jess continue their deep dive with data veteran Eric Callahan, exposing the truth about how most businesses actually handle their data. It's messier than you think, and that'...

17 Syys 202555min

The 5-Minute Data Fix That Prevents AI Disasters

The 5-Minute Data Fix That Prevents AI Disasters

In this episode of Early Adoptr, Kyle and Jess bust the biggest AI myth of all: “We don’t have enough data.” The truth? You’re already swimming in it. From emails to spreadsheets to customer conversat...

10 Syys 20251h 7min

Business Data for AI: How to Turn Customer Emails and Invoices Into Competitive Advantage

Business Data for AI: How to Turn Customer Emails and Invoices Into Competitive Advantage

In this episode, Kyle and Jess tackle the biggest myth in AI adoption: "I don't have enough data." The reality? Every business owner is sitting on a goldmine of untapped information - they just don't ...

3 Syys 202557min

Suosittua kategoriassa Liike-elämä ja talous

sijotuskasti
psykopodiaa-podcast
mimmit-sijoittaa
rss-rahapodi
rss-lahtijat
rss-draivi
oppimisen-psykologia
rss-porssipuhetta
rss-rahamania
rahapuhetta
taloudellinen-mielenrauha
rss-neuvottelija-sami-miettinen
rss-bisnesta-bebeja
rss-paatos-podcast-suomen-kovimmat-paatoksentekijat-2
rss-seuraava-potilas
rss-inderes
rss-40-ajatusta-aanesta
kasvun-kipuja
rss-h-asselmoilanen
rss-porssipodi