AI Interest Soars Amidst Bubble Fears: What’s Behind the Numbers?

Search queries for “AI bubble” in the U.S. have surged by 950% over the past year. The term peaked in early November, reaching a top search index value of 100 according to Google Trends. By mid-November, the index remained at 84-up from 8 eight years ago. Analytics from Finbold, released on November 16, reveal key interest from residents of the District of Columbia, the political decision-making hub. Technology-centric states like Washington, Massachusetts, Maryland, and New York follow closely.

The increase in searches coincides with a wave of warnings from economists, investors, and regulators. Experts point out that the valuations of many AI startups are inflated, and their revenues remain questionable. Corporations are investing billions in data centers and equipment without guarantees of immediate returns. Analysis indicates that companies adopting generative AI have yet to realize significant cost savings or productivity boosts.

This situation is reminiscent of the “dot-com bubble” (a speculative surge in internet companies in the 1990s), where investments outweighed real business models. However, a key difference is that today’s AI industry leaders, like Nvidia and Palantir, have already incorporated technologies into functional products, such as search engines, cloud platforms, and enterprise solutions. AI infrastructure-chips, data centers-caters to growing demand rather than hypothetical projects. Unlike dot-com era startups, today’s investors are profitable companies with stable incomes. Monitoring search trends has become an indicator of growing concerns in the financial community.

Moreover, despite fears of an AI bubble, recent data highlights Nvidia’s substantial revenue growth attributed to AI-driven demands, setting a record in Q3 2025. Palantir continues to advance AI applications in data analytics, showcasing how established companies are deepening industry interest. These developments illustrate a sustained commitment to AI integration, balancing concern with opportunity.