September 9, 2026
Episode v

v: AI Psychosis + the Great New Hope

AI fatigue is real—recent model releases were enough to discourage even senior devs and luminaries in the space. But once the dust settles, a case emerges that AI progress looks more like a sigmoid than an exponential, and that there are too many incentives for AI companies to appear more successful than they really are. We explore those theories.

We are all a bit fatigued by AI, and the latest models were enough to get some senior devs and luminaries in the space discouraged on X the other day. But once that subsides, a different picture comes into focus: there are many theories that make this look like a sigmoid rather than exponential growth. There are too many reasons for AI companies to seem more successful than they really are—and we explore those today.

Topics Covered

  • Why AI fatigue set in, and what the recent model releases actually delivered
  • The case for sigmoid (S-curve) growth over runaway exponential progress
  • The incentives that push AI companies to appear more successful than they are
  • Where the “great new hope” might actually come from—human-first, technology-second

This is Humans Only. I’m Erikk Shupp.