Amazon founder Jeff Bezos believes the current surge of investment in artificial intelligence represents a “good” kind of bubble that will ultimately deliver lasting benefits to society even if short-term valuations collapse.

Speaking at Italian Tech Week in Turin, Bezos contrasted AI’s boom with the dotcom crash and the 2008 financial crisis, saying that industrial investment bubbles tend to create enduring infrastructure and innovation.

A Bubble That Benefits Society

“This is kind of an industrial bubble as opposed to financial bubbles,” Bezos explained. He compared today’s AI excitement to the 1990s biotech boom and the fiber-optic buildout of the dotcom era, both of which produced lasting technologies even as many companies failed.

“The ones that are industrial are not nearly as bad, they can even be good,” Bezos said. “Because when the dust settles and you see who are the winners, society benefits from those inventions. That is what is going to happen here too. The benefits to society from AI are going to be gigantic.”

Echoes of the Dotcom Crash

Bezos recalled Amazon’s own experience during the dotcom crash of 2000, when its stock plummeted from $113 to $6 in months despite strong fundamentals. He noted that during bubbles, “every experiment gets funded, every company gets funded,” making it difficult for investors to distinguish between good and bad ideas.

But he stressed, “AI is real. It is going to change every industry.”

Visions of Space and AI

In a rare public appearance since stepping down as Amazon CEO in 2021, Bezos also shared futuristic predictions:

• Millions of people could be living in space colonies within decades.
• AI-powered robots will make space work more efficient than humans.
• Vast AI data centers powered by the sun could eventually be built in space.

“There has never been a better time to be excited about the future,” Bezos declared. “We are gifted to live in a moment where there are multiple golden ages going on.”

Warnings from Wall Street

Bezos’ optimism contrasted with remarks from David Solomon, CEO of Goldman Sachs, who also spoke in Turin. Solomon warned that while AI’s ability to boost productivity is “very exciting,” much of the capital being invested may not yield returns.

“When the current cycle ends, there will be a lot of capital that did not deliver returns. It is not different this time,” Solomon said. He suggested that markets could see a pullback in the next 12 to 24 months but emphasized that AI’s long-term impact on global work and productivity is undeniable.

The Bigger Picture

Jeff Bezos’ framing of the AI surge as a constructive, innovation-driven bubble highlights how leading tech figures view today’s investment frenzy. While Wall Street remains cautious about overvaluations, the broader consensus is clear: AI is a foundational technology that will reshape industries, economies, and even space exploration.

Whether AI’s current hype cycle produces a few dominant winners or a broad wave of transformation, Bezos insists that society will ultimately emerge stronger. The lesson from Amazon’s survival through the dotcom collapse remains relevant today.

JeffBezos #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #AIBubble #TechNews #FutureOfAI #AIInnovation #SpaceExploration #BusinessAndTech #AIInvestment #AmazonFounder #NextGenAI #AIProductivity