Why Today's AI Rush Echoes Silicon Valley's Past Boom-Bust Cycles

Professionally curated business newsletter, tailored for business executive, entrepreneurs and business owners.

Author

Cho-Nan Tsai
January 14, 2025

Dear Readers,

This week, Los Angeles faced one of its most severe wildfires in recent history, leaving an indelible mark on our community. As flames swept through our neighborhoods, countless families were forced to evacuate, while many of our neighbors lost homes and businesses they had spent years building.

In times of crisis, our strength lies in our unity. While the devastation is immense, we're already witnessing remarkable acts of compassion and resilience throughout affected areas. From emergency responders working tirelessly on the frontlines to neighbors helping neighbors find temporary shelter, the spirit of Los Angeles remains unbroken.

As we await containment of the fires and begin the challenging journey of rebuilding, our thoughts are with every member of our community impacted by this disaster. The road to recovery may be long, but we will walk it together. Below, you'll find crucial resources available to those affected by the wildfires, including emergency shelter information, financial assistance programs, and mental health support services.

Take care,

Cho-Nan

INSIDE THIS WEEK:

🌏 COVER STORY: The AI Gold Rush: Don't Let History Repeat Itself

Top AI Conferences in 2025

The AI Gold Rush: Don't Let History Repeat Itself

What the dot-com bubble can teach us about today's AI hype cycle

Remember 1999? When adding ".com" to your company name could triple your stock price overnight? Fast forward to 2025, and we're watching history rhyme. Just swap ".com" for ".ai" and watch the valuations soar.

The New Tech Bubble Playbook:

  • Take a real business problem

  • Sprinkle in some AI buzzwords

  • Promise 10x results

  • Remove the human element

  • Package it all in venture capital speak

Sound familiar?

"Real AI isn't magic. It's math. Lots and lots of math, done very quickly. It's pattern recognition at scale – probability and statistics wearing a very expensive suit."

The AGI Mirage While venture capitalists chase the dream of human-like artificial general intelligence, reality tells a different story. We're not on the cusp of digital consciousness – we're building sophisticated pattern recognition tools. Powerful? Yes. Revolutionary? Perhaps. Human replacement? Not even close.

Smart Questions for Smart Leaders:

  • What specific problem does this AI solution solve?

  • Could traditional methods achieve similar results?

  • What's the true human impact – both cost and benefit?

  • How does this enhance rather than replace human capabilities?

The Real AI Revolution History's greatest innovations didn't eliminate human potential – they amplified it. The printing press expanded authors' reach. Calculators freed mathematicians to tackle bigger challenges. True innovation makes the mundane invisible, letting humans focus on what they do best: create, empathize, and judge.

Bottom Line: When evaluating AI investments, replace "AI-powered" with "human-empowered" in the pitch. If the value proposition still holds, you might have a winner. If not, you've just spotted another bubble in the making.

Top AI and data conferences in 2025 (Q1, Q2)

February 2025

  • AI Everything Global: Dubai, UAE (Feb 4-6)

  • TechEx Global: London, UK (Feb 5-6)

  • EVOLVECON: Nashville, TN (Feb 10-13)

  • World AI Cannes Festival: Cannes, France (Feb 13-15)

March 2025

  • HumanX: Las Vegas, NV (Mar 10-13)

  • NVIDIA GTC Conference: San Jose, CA (Mar 17-20)

April 2025

  • Google Cloud Next 2025: Las Vegas, NV (Apr 9-11)

  • Optimized AI Conference: Atlanta, GA (Apr 14-16)

May 2025

  • EmTech AI 2025: Cambridge, MA (May 5-7)

  • Data Innovation Summit: Stockholm (May 7-8)

  • Data Science Next Conference: Amsterdam (May 7-9)

  • ICMLT 2025: Helsinki, Finland (May 23-25)

  • AI & Machine Learning Summit: Boston, MA (May 14-15)

  • Embedded Vision Summit: Santa Clara, CA (May 20-22)

  • Imagine AI Live'25: Las Vegas, NV (May 28-30)

  • AI DevSummit: San Francisco, CA (May 29-30)

June 2025

  • TechEx North America: Santa Clara, CA (Jun 4-5)

  • AI & Big Data Expo North America: Santa Clara, CA (Jun 4-5)

  • Big Data & Analytics Summit: Toronto (Jun 4-5)

  • 3rd World Conference on Data Science & Statistics: Amsterdam (Jun 16-18)

  • AWS re:Inforce: Philadelphia, PA (Jun 16-18)

  • CVPR: Nashville, TN (Jun 11-15)

  • Arize:Observe: San Francisco, CA (Jun 25)

That's all for this week's FutureOrg AI newsletter. Remember, staying informed about AI developments isn't just about keeping up—it's about staying ahead. Have a great week, and we'll see you next week!

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