Altman: AI is in a bubble, just like the "dot-com bubble," where some incur huge losses, but "no one knows who."

On Thursday, Sam Altman, the "flag bearer" of the global AI wave and CEO of OpenAI, candidly admitted that the artificial intelligence industry is currently in a bubble.

His remarks have drawn significant market attention, especially as OpenAI seeks an astonishing valuation of up to $500 billion and has secured billions in investments from giants like Microsoft, SoftBank, and NVIDIA.

However, while warning of the bubble, Altman also seemed to declare a sense of confidence: the bubble will eventually burst, but OpenAI will be the one to laugh last.

History Repeats: The AI Boom Resembles the "Dot-Com Bubble"

Altman believes that the current frenzy in the AI field bears many similarities to the dot-com bubble of the past.

He told the media, "When a bubble occurs, smart people get overly excited about the core of a truth." He recalled that most historical bubbles were supported by genuine technological revolutions, stating, "Technology is really important, the internet is really important. It's just that people became overly excited."

The internet bubble of the 1990s mirrors the current market enthusiasm for artificial intelligence in many ways. At that time, a massive influx of capital entered the internet industry without a clear profit model, ultimately leading to a bubble burst when profits could not be realized.

Today's "data centers" and "AI startups" are akin to the "telecom infrastructure" and "internet companies" of the bubble era, with similar fervor replaying in the AI field.

Trillion-Dollar Gamble: "Someone Will Suffer Huge Losses, But We Don't Know Who"

Despite acknowledging the industry's bubble, some of Altman's other remarks suggest he believes OpenAI will be the "survivor" that navigates through the cycle—much like Google and Amazon grew into global giants after the dot-com bubble burst.

Currently, ChatGPT's weekly active users have surpassed 700 million, quadrupling from a year ago. Altman ambitiously told the media:

"Soon, billions of people will be talking to ChatGPT every day...

We are now the fifth largest website in the world and are clearly on the path to becoming third."

The most indicative of his "survivor" logic is Altman's seemingly audacious "AI infrastructure" plan.

"You should anticipate that OpenAI will spend trillions of dollars on data center construction in the not-too-distant future," he stated to the media. This is clearly not something a company preparing to face severe economic difficulties would say.

Regarding potential external criticisms of "madness" or "recklessness," he seemed to have anticipated them and prepared to ignore them directly:

"We will say, 'You know what? Let us do our thing.'"

In this trillion-dollar-driven gamble, there are bound to be losers. Altman pointedly remarked that "someone" will lose "an astonishing amount of money." But he quickly added, "We don't know who."

Clearly, Altman believes that OpenAI cannot be a loser.

"Although my views may prove to be wrong, overall, this will bring tremendous net benefits to the economy," he told the media