1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:05,039 Speaker 1: Andrew Curtain, Milford Asset Management is with us. Hello Andrew, afternoon. 2 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:06,520 Speaker 1: Hit it Now a lot of us are trying to 3 00:00:06,519 --> 00:00:08,479 Speaker 1: figure out whether we're in an AI bubble or not. 4 00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:12,319 Speaker 1: Have we seen signs we might be, Yeah, there's this 5 00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:14,400 Speaker 1: sign to be more and more signs which are a 6 00:00:14,440 --> 00:00:18,160 Speaker 1: little bit concerning. Just the shared numbers that have been 7 00:00:18,160 --> 00:00:20,640 Speaker 1: talked about that's been spent in AI at the moment 8 00:00:20,760 --> 00:00:25,919 Speaker 1: is becoming quite outstanding. So globally we're talking about six 9 00:00:26,040 --> 00:00:29,440 Speaker 1: hundred billion dollars been invested in AI data centers, So 10 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:32,279 Speaker 1: these are the data centers that are full of these 11 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:35,600 Speaker 1: super chips which run the AI models. But that number 12 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:38,320 Speaker 1: is expected generally by the market to go to over 13 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:41,200 Speaker 1: one trillion per annum over the next couple of years. 14 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:44,040 Speaker 1: And if you believe the CEO of DA Video Agents 15 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:47,360 Speaker 1: and Huang, he's talking about three to four trillion annually 16 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:49,200 Speaker 1: been spent by the end of the year. So that's 17 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:51,720 Speaker 1: that's around two and a half percent of the global GDP. 18 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:54,760 Speaker 1: So it's just three incredible numbers that you're talking about. 19 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:56,480 Speaker 1: And then so amongst that, you're getting a lot of 20 00:00:56,480 --> 00:01:00,360 Speaker 1: stock prices which are and then certain companies which which 21 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:03,800 Speaker 1: are flying very high, up sort of one hundred percent 22 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:06,119 Speaker 1: this year, up over a couple of hundred percent over 23 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:08,320 Speaker 1: a couple of years, so it's kind of a few 24 00:01:08,319 --> 00:01:10,440 Speaker 1: are the signs that are of the bubble, and a 25 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:13,960 Speaker 1: lot of sort of deals happening into between companies, Open 26 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:16,520 Speaker 1: ai signing deals with all sorts of companies, so this 27 00:01:16,680 --> 00:01:18,920 Speaker 1: is becoming a little bit more concerned. So are you 28 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:20,880 Speaker 1: going to make a call whether we're in an AI 29 00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:25,480 Speaker 1: bubble or not. It's a really really difficult question to 30 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:30,120 Speaker 1: answer because one of those ones, that's if the technolo 31 00:01:30,160 --> 00:01:33,559 Speaker 1: if AO technology ends up delivering on what it's hyped 32 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:35,480 Speaker 1: to be, and so what the people like Sam Oltman 33 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:37,640 Speaker 1: from open ai and Jenson and Lanquin never If it 34 00:01:37,680 --> 00:01:40,039 Speaker 1: does what they say it's going to do, then you 35 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:43,080 Speaker 1: can probably justify what's going on, right, But the problem 36 00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:45,800 Speaker 1: is doesn't meet those expectations over the next few years, 37 00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:47,960 Speaker 1: and if it falls short of those expectations, if all 38 00:01:47,960 --> 00:01:52,000 Speaker 1: of a sudden, AI isn't the game changing technology we 39 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:53,600 Speaker 1: thought it was going to be, and it does all 40 00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:56,120 Speaker 1: the jobs for us and we can focus on important 41 00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:59,760 Speaker 1: tasks rather than doing sort of time intensive data processing, 42 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:03,520 Speaker 1: then then all this all this investment is probably going 43 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:05,720 Speaker 1: to be overdone and they will prove to be a bubble. 44 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:09,080 Speaker 1: But one of the challenges and that you sort of 45 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:13,359 Speaker 1: have them trying to sort of time times that when 46 00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:15,960 Speaker 1: the spending might slow down, is actually looking at the 47 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:17,760 Speaker 1: companies that are that are doing the spending. And in 48 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:21,800 Speaker 1: previous technology cycles was funded by companies that maybe weren't 49 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:23,880 Speaker 1: quite as strong as what the ones are doing it today. 50 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:26,040 Speaker 1: So the company spending the most in AI are the 51 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:30,040 Speaker 1: likes of Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Meta. You're talking about multi 52 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:33,079 Speaker 1: trillion dollar companies with hundreds of billions that dollars a 53 00:02:33,160 --> 00:02:35,359 Speaker 1: cash on their balance sheet. And if they want and 54 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:37,720 Speaker 1: they do believe in this technology at the moment, you 55 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:40,840 Speaker 1: listen to the CEOs and they absolutely believe in the technology. 56 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:42,720 Speaker 1: So if they want to increase the spending, they can 57 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:44,680 Speaker 1: easily do that. And if they decide to do that, 58 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:47,359 Speaker 1: then the share prices may well keep going up in 59 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:49,959 Speaker 1: a lot of these companies. So what are the developments 60 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:52,080 Speaker 1: that you're going to be looking out for in the 61 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:56,440 Speaker 1: I don't know, let's say the coming weeks. Right now, 62 00:02:56,480 --> 00:02:58,720 Speaker 1: we've got the results seasons kicking off in the US 63 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:02,320 Speaker 1: next week. We in the space of two days. We 64 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:05,959 Speaker 1: have all the largest technology companies in the world reporting results, 65 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:10,280 Speaker 1: so Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Meta, and Apple. Now what the 66 00:03:10,320 --> 00:03:12,679 Speaker 1: market's going to be really focused on is what they 67 00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:15,600 Speaker 1: say one about AI and the technology. And I think 68 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:17,200 Speaker 1: it's pretty much a given that they're all going to 69 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:19,160 Speaker 1: say the technology is great and it's going to change 70 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:22,360 Speaker 1: the world. But do they follow that through with a 71 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:25,760 Speaker 1: big increase in capital spending expectations? So do they come 72 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:28,240 Speaker 1: out and say, oh, look, we're going to now increase 73 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:31,560 Speaker 1: sell AI data center investments by another ten to twenty 74 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:33,799 Speaker 1: billion dollars versus what we told you three months ago. 75 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:36,160 Speaker 1: And if they do that, that might give the market 76 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:38,920 Speaker 1: legs to continue. The risk is the market sort of 77 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:41,960 Speaker 1: is expecting them to do to come out with that statement, 78 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:44,080 Speaker 1: and if they're a bit softer than expected, then that 79 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:46,280 Speaker 1: could spook the market and you actually get a sell off. 80 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:48,640 Speaker 1: Very interesting stuff, Andrew, thank you so much. It's a 81 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:50,760 Speaker 1: fascinating topic. I'm looking forward to to seeing how this 82 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:54,800 Speaker 1: plays out. Andrew Curtain, Milford Asset Management. For more from 83 00:03:54,880 --> 00:03:58,160 Speaker 1: Heather Duplessy, Allen Drive, listen live to news talks. It'd 84 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:02,280 Speaker 1: be from four pm weekdays or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio,