It's Just Technology
The 1X Neo is one of the first humanoid robots built for your home and is equipped with full AI software. For $20,000, you can pre-order X1’s Neo now with delivery set for 2026. But a company representative might need to peer into your home, via Neo’s camera eyes, to help get things done.
WSJ’s Joanna Stern spent time with it—and its creator—to see what it can really do and how much it still requires a human operator’s help.
Superintelligent AI is getting closer than most people think, and the world is not ready. Smarter than human system could quietly reshape jobs, war, and truth before anyone notices. In this new video, you’ll find out why the race is accelerating, what signs to watch, and how it could change your life next.
Businesses are spending hundreds of billions of dollars on AI for the workplace. But getting employees to use the tools to their full potential is a huge task. How will companies make sure they see a return on investment?
This video traces the journey of gold from a rare, shiny metal to its foundational role in the global economy. Although a finite resource, the metal’s enduring value comes from its unique properties—it does not tarnish, is malleable, and is virtually indestructible.
Initially used for decoration, worship, and status, the true leap occurred when gold became a medium of exchange based on collective belief rather than intrinsic utility (like cattle). This led to the establishment of the gold standard, where paper money was a trusted promise backed by physical gold reserves. However, the standard’s inflexibility contributed to the severity of the Great Depression.
This led the U.S. to transition away from gold, first domestically in 1933, and then internationally in 1971, ushering in the era of fiat money. Today, global economies rely on currencies like the U.S. dollar, whose value is based on trust in the issuing government and management by institutions like the Federal Reserve. Nevertheless, gold remains a critical asset, held by central banks and individual investors as a hedge against inflation and a store of value when trust in the dollar or economic stability wavers.
Investors have grown more concerned over the run-up in tech stocks and valuations of private AI companies, stoking fears of a bubble. WSJ’s Hannah Erin Lang uses three charts to explain what’s behind Wall Street’s jitters.
Major tech companies, including Tesla, Microsoft, Amazon, and Google, have tried replacing humans with AI, often resulting in layoffs and operational setbacks.
Overconfidence in AI led to production delays, service errors, and reduced customer satisfaction, as seen in Tesla, Klarna, IBM, Taco Bell, and Duolingo. Studies show only 7% of AI initiatives deliver measurable returns, while unsupervised automation increases employee turnover and costs.
Successful AI adoption relies on careful planning, human oversight, and training. Companies that integrate AI gradually report productivity gains and cost reductions, highlighting the importance of complementing rather than replacing human labor.
Electric vertical takeoff and landing aircrafts, or eVTOLs, promise a futuristic vision of the world. One company, Pivotal, is taking a different approach with an eVTOL looks different from the rest of the market. Their ultralight consumer eVTOL weighs just 348 pounds, has eight propellers and does not require a pilot’s license to operate.
WSJ explores how Pivotal’s ultralight eVTOL works.
The AI boom is starting to look increasingly like a bubble as investment outstrips revenue by unprecedented levels and even major tech companies are financing development in sneaky ways. And if the bubble bursts, it could take the US economy down with it.
Picture this: You tap your banking app, and it spins like a fidget toy. Then, this pops up. “Funds unavailable. Please remain calm.” Your debit card is now just a shiny piece of plastic. Outside, drones buzz over rooftops, sirens howl and every headline shouts one phrase: THE GREAT RESET IS HERE.
The consensus among experts is mixed on whether the current surge in Artificial Intelligence (AI) investment constitutes a true bubble in the traditional sense, but nearly all agree the market is experiencing an overheated boom with significant speculative risk.
Arguments for a Bubble:
Extreme Valuations and Concentration: A small group of mega-cap tech companies, often called the “Magnificent Seven” (including Nvidia, Microsoft, and others), dominate global stock indices. Their valuations are at historically high levels compared to earnings, with some ratios, like the Shiller P/E, reaching levels last seen during the dot-com crash. This concentration makes the broader market vulnerable to any correction in AI-related stocks.
High Hype vs. Lack of Immediate Profit: While enthusiasm for AI’s transformative potential is immense, many AI-focused companies, particularly early-stage ones, are burning through massive amounts of capital without demonstrating clear, proportional revenue or profit returns yet. Some analysts point to enormous, multi-billion-dollar deals between tech giants (e.g., for hardware and cloud services) as potentially circular, propping up demand artificially.
Historical Parallels: The current market frenzy and “Fear Of Missing Out” (FOMO) among investors draw clear comparisons to past speculative eras, such as the dot-com bubble.
Arguments Against a Traditional Bubble (or for a “Boom”):
Strong Underlying Fundamentals: Unlike the dot-com era, the dominant AI companies are generally established, highly profitable, and cash-rich businesses (like Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet). Their AI investments are largely funded by existing revenues, not just speculative debt or venture capital, which suggests a more solid foundation.
Real Technological Disruption: AI is viewed as a genuinely transformative technology with massive long-term potential for productivity gains across numerous industries (finance, healthcare, etc.).
Massive Infrastructure Investment: The sheer scale of capital expenditure on AI infrastructure, such as data centers and specialized chips, is unprecedented and is currently driving a significant portion of overall economic growth. This investment creates a lasting physical foundation for future growth.
Conclusion:
The market is characterized by a “risk bubble” driven by optimism about future AI-fueled profits, leading to a dramatic disconnect between current stock prices and immediate financial reality for many players. While the major companies funding the boom are on a firmer footing than those in past bubbles, a sudden reversal of growth expectations could trigger a sharp, systemic market correction.