When the AI bubble bursts, the nerds will do their best work. Suddenly, and not long ago, our dearest tech industry leaders began to suggest caution. Sam Altman said that AI is in a bubble "for sure," albeit one formed around "a kernel of truth." Mark Zuckerberg said an AI bubble "is quite possible," though "if the models keep on growing in capability year over year and demand keeps growing, then maybe there is no collapse, or something." Even Eric Schmidt is saying to calm down about artificial general intelligence and focus on competing with China .

Generative AI has been predicted to add trillions to the world economy in a productivity boost never before seen in history (if it doesn't wipe out humanity first). A growing number of sceptics, including some leading AI scientists, are wondering whether the tech might not deliver on its promises to boost the world economy. Goldman Sachs famously predicted that generative AI would bring about'sweeping changes' to the world economy, driving a 7 trillion increase in global GDP and lifting productivity growth by 1.5 percent this decade. Professor Gary Marcus of New York University wrote on Substack that'we are starting to see signs' that generative AI might be a'dud'. Among the warning signs was a report in the Wall Street Journal suggesting that customers found the 30 a month price of Microsoft's new AI-boosted Copilot software too expensive.

As technology becomes more complex and opaque, how will we as designers understand its potential, do hands-on work, translate it into forms people can understand and use, and lead meaningful conversations with manufacturers and policymakers about its downstream implications? We are entering a new technology landscape shaped by artificial intelligence, advanced robotics and synthetic biology. Historically, design has transformed and generated new disciplines during times of fast technological change. Through conversations led by Tellart, this project explores and documents transformations in design between the Dotcom Crash and the rise of machine intelligence. Through reflections on key projects from this period and interviews with a community of today's top design practitioners, Design Nonfiction explores the future of design practice.