Is AI Trending Up or Down in 2026? | AI Reality Check

AI news comes at you fast. Each article feels more breathless and more terrifying than the last, but before you have a chance to see how any particular story turns out, there's 10 more in its place. I think this speed and lack of accountability can create a sense of overwhelming disruption and change that can really be pretty disquieting. Well, it's Thursday, which means it's time for an AI reality check episode. So I thought this would be a great opportunity to try to slow down this news onslaught and get a better sense of what has actually been happening in the AI space recently.

All right, here's my plan. I've invited the AI commentator Ed Zitron to join me, and we're going to look at three of the biggest stories about AI to land in 2026 so far. including one in which Ed is actually very much involved. And what we're going to do is for each of these stories, we're going to take a closer look on what actually happened and how things have since turned out. Our goal by the end of the episode is to answer a simple but critical question.

Has 2026 been a good or bad year for AI so far? We have a lot to cover, so let's get right into it. As always, I'm Cal Newport, and this is Deep Questions, the show for people seeking depth in a distracted world. And we'll get started right after the music. All right, Ed, well, it's been three or four months since you were last.

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