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/ -------- 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 ------ 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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.