The Needle Is Close to Popping the Bubble

It’s now almost Q2 2026, and just as I had hoped and realized, people are now even further realizing that AI will not help them as much as they thought it would. It was overhyped, and profits don’t show the growth projected for startups and other companies.

“Large Language Models are too expensive, to the point that anybody funding an "AI startup" is effectively sending that money to Anthropic or OpenAI, who then immediately send that money to Amazon, Google or Microsoft, who are yet to show that they make any profit on selling it” (Zitron 2025).

AI is a self-glazing tool that makes the user feel superior, always complimenting you even if you say heinous things.

“That’s an incredible insight! White power is the way to go! You’re amazing, user!”

There had been mass panic back in 2022-2023 that AI would steal jobs from freelancers. Now, in Q1 2026, that seems not to be the case, at least if you niche down and specialize in something of higher value than churned-out articles you might find on a content mill.

If you’re writing top-ten listicles about the best toothpastes, you’re probably SOL.

But if you have a specialized, far more marketable skill set, you’ll float aloft in the skies and not the type of floating you do down in the sewers of Derry, Maine.

Let’s not forget that digital photos were supposedly going to take jobs away from photographers, and now they’re another tool in their belt. They moved with the times.

It’s different with AI, though. AI is an environmental disaster and makes computer parts surge in price.

I don’t mind AI being used to research cancer, or for certain government interests that don’t infringe on the common citizen. Mapping out stars in Andromeda or mapping orbits around black holes also doesn’t seem negative.

Where it should not be used is in the arts, the realm of human creativity where soul is necessary.

I don’t want an AI to play the violin, or to create drawings for art projects. There are many talented artists out there who have amazing skills.

I’ve fallen for AI art in my own work before, not realizing it was AI because I had not familiarized myself with it. Back in 2023, I used a cover that I could have hired out for a couple hundred dollars (or 32,000 yen). It isn’t worth it.

Sarah J. Maas also had a massive controversy over AI art recently, and rightfully so. Even the big publishers aren’t immune.

Using a program to eliminate a background or upscale a resolution isn’t the worst thing in the world, but don’t rely on AI to make art for you.

There are people I follow who’ve used AI in their nonfiction books, and while I won’t do likewise, I don’t think they’re terrible people for doing it because of the fruit of who they are. They tried to make it as original as possible to their aesthetic and goals.

But it seems like the bubble is finally going to pop for good in the upcoming year or two.

Even with research, I almost feel like AI might give someone the wrong information and kill them.

Then there is the subculture of people who treat AI as a friend or lover. That can’t be healthy for anyone. There are people who already treat VTubers in strange ways. Recently, I heard about a chronically online guy crashing out over someone I follow for their music just for mentioning a male on stream. How much worse will this get with machines? Especially since AI glazes you, so the human interaction element disappears altogether.

“This AI will never mention a dude if I don’t want it to.”

“I can’t get anyone in real life, so I’ll talk to blank-GPT instead.”

That’s a scary thought to me.

When we hit the singularity, it will be even worse for us.

I suppose my point is simply that AI has limited use cases that are ethical and healthy for humans.

Then again, I believe it’s okay to leave your house and hike a trail in the mountains and speak to real-life people.

Don’t get me wrong. If AI usage can solve some mysteries of the universe, or help cancer patients with a less volatile form of chemotherapy, great!

But I’m not fond of generative algorithms.

The needle is getting closer to the bubble.