AI Bubble
February 2nd, 2026 Barry Posted in Economic cartoons | No Comments »
This cartoon is drawn by new guest artist Jamie Sale, who did a terrific job.
TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON
This cartoon has four panels. Each of the panels shows a businessman in a suit grinning as he speaks to us.
PANEL 1
A close up of a businessman grinning. In the background, a bright blue sky with fluffy clouds.
MAN: A.I. Is the defining tech of our time! Microsoft and amazon and facebook and google have spent almost a trillion dollars on A.I.!
PANEL 2
The camera has pulled back a little. We can see the man is holding a bubble blower, bubbles streaming from it.
MAN: Has A.I. made a profit? Not yet, but… Someday we’ll figure out something A.I. can do that actually makes money! It definitely might could happen!
PANEL 3
The man continues grinning, pumping his fist, as the air around him turns gray and forbidding and the bubbles stream out.
MAN: In the meantime, We have to prepare! By spending more billions building more A.I. data centers so we can spend trillions more so that someday A.I. can do… Um…
PANEL 4
We can now see that the man is talking to a huge bubble floating in the air. The bubble has been packed fill with ordinary looking people, shoved in like sardines in a can. They looked panicked and unhappy.
MAN: Anyway, A.I. is certainly possibly maybe not going to pop and take down the whole economy! You’ve got nothing to worry about!
CHICKEN FAT WATCH
“Chicken fat” is old-fashioned cartoonist lingo for little extras in the art.
Panel 2 – In a tiny window in a cloud is a tiny, teeny silhouette of a spy with binoculars.
Panel 3 – One of the bubbles has a mouse in it.
Panel 4 – One of the bubbles has a “for rent” sign.
