Overview
- Regulators and analysts highlight bubble-like exposure from unprecedented AI capex, with projections running into the trillions for chips and data centers by 2030.
- The Bank of England cautioned that a sharp AI market correction could resemble the 2008 crash, underscoring systemic risk concerns.
- Enterprise adoption of agentic AI surged, with a PwC survey finding 79% of companies using such tools as leaders steer deployments toward workflow execution and vertical models.
- Executives say 2026 will prioritize provable returns, with predictions ranging from bankruptcies and consolidation to at least one major AI IPO and potential cash shortfall warnings by a foundation-model player.
- Security and operational headwinds are rising, including expectations of more sophisticated identity and cyber attacks and growing strain from energy and water demands tied to data-center expansion.