Another Crazy Day in AI: What the 90s Tech Boom Can — and Can't — Teach Us
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Hello, AI Enthusiasts.
Here's another crazy day in AI:
The missing ingredient in the tech boom comparison
Businesses scramble to stand out in AI search
University of Chicago deploys AI “self-driving” lab for research
Some AI tools to try out
TODAY'S FEATURED ITEM: Before We Compare Today to the 90s
Image Credit: Wowza (created with Ideogram)
Could it be that the economic conditions of the 1990s mattered just as much as the technology itself?
Bloomberg News Senior Editor Chris Anstey joined David Gura and Christina Ruffini on Bloomberg This Weekend to talk about one of the more interesting economic debates happening right now — how well today's boom actually compares to the Internet revolution of the 1990s. Anstey doesn't dismiss the comparison outright, but he does think it deserves a lot more context than it usually gets.
He suggests that while the parallels are easy to draw, they often focus on the visible energy of the moment such as funding levels and rapid innovation, without fully considering the economic backdrop that shaped how the 90s unfolded.
Here's what the conversation gets into:
The 1990s productivity boom had a quiet but powerful ally — China's entry into global supply chains drove import prices down, which helped keep inflation in check and gave the Fed room to hold interest rates low for longer
Anstey recalls a personal moment where he blurted out China's role in disinflation to Alan Greenspan mid-presentation, and Greenspan's reaction said a lot about how underappreciated — and politically loaded — that factor tends to be
Greenspan was notably quick to recognize the productivity gains the Internet was generating, and he shaped monetary policy around that understanding — a call that held up well in hindsight
Fiscal policy was also doing some work in the background — reduced government borrowing kept long-term interest rates from climbing, leaving more room for private sector investment to grow
Today's projections about productivity and labor markets lean heavily on the 1990s as a reference point, but that decade came with a fairly specific set of economic circumstances that aren't always part of the conversation
The 1990s delivered real results — productivity climbed, growth was strong, and the Internet proved to be as transformative as advertised. That part of the story is well documented. What Anstey brings to the table is a reminder that the decade also came with a specific set of economic conditions running in the background — favorable trade dynamics, disciplined fiscal policy, and a central bank that happened to read the moment well.
That context doesn't change what's happening today, but it does make the comparison a little more complicated than it's often presented. The more interesting question might not be whether the two eras look similar on the surface, but whether the underlying conditions are comparable at all.
Watch the full interview here.
OTHER INTERESTING AI HIGHLIGHTS:
Businesses Scramble To Stand Out In AI Search
/Sean McManus, Tech Reporter, on BBC News
As AI reshapes how people search for information, businesses are seeing sharp drops in website traffic—and rethinking their entire digital strategy. Instead of traditional SEO, companies are now focusing on “answer engine optimization” to get cited directly in AI-generated responses. This shift is changing how content is written, structured, and even discovered, with AI-driven visitors proving more likely to convert. For many, adapting isn’t optional—it’s quickly becoming a matter of survival.
Read more here.
University Of Chicago Deploys AI “Self-Driving” Lab For Research
/CBS Chicago
Researchers at the University of Chicago are using a “self-driving” lab powered by AI and robotics to dramatically speed up scientific discovery. Tasks that once took weeks or months can now be completed autonomously, particularly in the development of quantum materials. Rather than replacing scientists, the system handles repetitive work, freeing researchers to focus on higher-level thinking. It’s an early look at how automation could reshape not just business—but the future of research itself.
Check it out here.
SOME AI TOOLS TO TRY OUT:
That’s a wrap on today’s Almost Daily craziness.
Catch us almost every day—almost! 😉
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