No firm is immune if AI bubble bursts: Google CEO

Alphabet Chief Executive Sundar Pichai said no company would be unscathed if the artificial intelligence boom collapses, as soaring valuations and heavy investment in the sector fuel concerns of a bubble.

- Reuters

Sundar Pichai

Pichai said in an interview with the BBC published on Tuesday that the current wave of AI investment was an “extraordinary moment” but acknowledged “elements of irrationality” in the market, echoing warnings of “irrational exuberance” during the dotcom era. There has also been much debate among analysts about whether AI valuations are sustainable.

Asked about how Google would cope with a potential bursting of a bubble, Pichai said he thought it could weather the storm but added: “I think no company is going to be immune, including us.”

Alphabet shares have surged about 46% this year, as investors bet on its ability to compete with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI.

In the United States, concerns about lofty AI valuations have begun to weigh on broader markets, while British policymakers have also flagged bubble risks.