AI vibe check 2025: Billions poured in—but as hype cools, hard questions emerge about sustainability, safety, and real-world returns.
Matilda
2025 Was The Year AI Got a Vibe Check
AI Vibe Check 2025: When Optimism Met Reality At the start of 2025, the AI industry seemed unstoppable. Billions flowed freely, valuations soared, and new labs launched with more capital than most companies see in a decade. But by year’s end, a quiet “vibe check” rippled through boardrooms and tech headlines alike. Investors, users, and even insiders began asking: Is this pace sustainable? Can AI deliver real value—or just vaporware dressed in buzzwords? The short answer? The AI gold rush hasn’t stopped, but the mood has definitely shifted. Credit: Daniil Komov on Unsplash A Record-Breaking Start Fueled by FOMO The first half of 2025 looked like a fever dream of unchecked optimism. OpenAI closed a $40 billion round at a staggering $300 billion valuation—more than the GDP of many countries. Newcomers like Safe Superintelligence and Thinking Machine Labs raised $2 billion each before shipping a single product, banking on promise over proof. Even first-time founders found themselves commandi…
