Ali Shaikh: 2026 AI Bubble Pops, Networks Take Lead

AI spend keeps rising, but the story shifts in 2026. Graphiant CEO Ali Shaikh predicts the first real pop in the AI bubble. Not a crash. A reset.

Ali’s point is simple. Model scaling slows. Data center expansion takes time. So buyers stop paying for hype and start paying for outcomes.

That pushes the spotlight back to the network.

When teams move from experiments to real use cases, data flows change fast. Workloads spread across clouds, partners, and regions. Users sit everywhere. If the network lags, the use case stalls. If the network stays predictable, leaders measure results.

In the video, Ali covers:

• Why growth in model scaling plateaus
• Why value shifts to real business use cases
• Why the network becomes the constraint and the advantage
• Why service providers gain room to sell new services
• What enterprises will demand when they evaluate networking spend

If you sell, build, or operate networks, this video frames what to watch as budgets tighten and decision makers ask tougher questions. If you run AI programs, it gives you a practical lens for where delivery risk shows up first.

Watch the video to get Ali's take on where we're headed in 2026.

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