THINKING ALOUD

If AI looks like a bubble, acts like a bubble, then…

It probably is a bubble

    • AI has become the dominant investment theme of the decade, with investors paying little attention to valuations.
    • AI has become the dominant investment theme of the decade, with investors paying little attention to valuations. PHOTO: EPA
    Published Wed, Jul 15, 2026 · 07:00 AM

    IN JULY 2007, just before the global financial crisis erupted, Citigroup chief executive Chuck Prince famously remarked: “As long as the music is playing, you’ve got to get up and dance.”

    His words have since become one of the defining quotations of every speculative boom: where investors may recognise that stock valuations are becoming absurdly inflated, but few are willing to leave the dance floor while prices continue to rise.

    That sentiment feels strikingly relevant today.