My outlook for 2026: orchestration, the human edge and the AI bubble

Welcome to Exponential View, the show where I explore how exponential technologies such as AI are reshaping our future. I've been studying AI and exponential technologies at the frontier for over ten years. Each week, I share some of my analysis or speak with an expert guest to make light of a particular topic.
To keep up with the Exponential transition, subscribe to this channel or to my newsletter: https://www.exponentialview.co/
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In this episode, I share my outlook for 2026 and explain why AI tools now feel genuinely different. I explore how the act of making has been transformed, why authenticity and meaning will become the new scarcity, and whether the foundations of energy and capital can hold. I also address the question I was asked most in 2025: when will the AI bubble burst?
Skip to the best bits:
00:00 Why AI feels different in 2026
01:59 The six shifts in AI 03:32 The "done list" era
06:43 From execution to orchestration
09:02 The agentic coding revolution
11:10 What's a Chief Question Officer?
13:58 Three ways value will be created
16:27 "Claude told me to use ChatGPT"
18:02 The AI usage gap
20:30 The new moat in 2026
26:10 How does solar growth affect AI?
28:53 Revisiting the bubble or boom question
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Where to find me:
Exponential View newsletter: https://www.exponentialview.co/
Website: https://www.azeemazhar.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/azhar/
Twitter/X: https://x.com/azeem
Production by supermix.io and EPIIPLUS1
Production and research: Chantal Smith and Marija Gavrilov.
About Exponential View:
Welcome to Exponential View, where Azeem Azhar examines how exponential technologies such as AI are reshaping the future. Each week, Azeem shares his analysis or speaks with an expert guest to shed light on frontier shifts across technology, business and society.
To keep up with the Exponential transition, subscribe to this channel or the newsletter: https://www.exponentialview.co/
To keep up with our AI economy research, subscribe to https://www.investmentbrief.ai/
Where to find me:
Exponential View newsletter: https://www.exponentialview.co/
Website: https://www.azeemazhar.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/azeem/
Twitter/X: https://x.com/azeem
Production by EPIIPLUS1.
Production and research: Baba Films, Marija Gavrilov.
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