Is There an AI Bubble? + Human Factors in Cybersecurity
In this episode of the TechEDGE Podcast, we bring you two thought-provoking articles tackling some of the most debated and misunderstood issues in technology today: whether AI is in a bubble and why human behavior remains the weakest—and most important—link in cybersecurity.
From competing views on AI investment exuberance to lessons learned from high-profile data breaches, this episode helps technology leaders separate hype from reality and rethink resilience in a rapidly evolving threat landscape.
Is There an AI Bubble or Not?
As AI spending accelerates, opinions are sharply divided on whether the industry is experiencing a boom—or building the next bubble. This article examines both sides of the debate, drawing comparisons to the dot-com era while highlighting what makes today’s AI moment fundamentally different.
The piece explores warning signs such as soaring valuations, heavy capital expenditures, and unprofitable startups, alongside counterarguments that emphasize unprecedented demand, real revenue, and long-term infrastructure investment.
Key themes include:
- Why AI valuations are drawing comparisons to the dot-com bubble
- Concerns around profitability, speculation, and investor exuberance
- How today’s AI boom differs from past technology bubbles
- The role of profitable hyperscalers funding AI with existing cash flow
- Why infrastructure investments in chips, cloud, and data centers may outlast market corrections
- Lessons leaders can take from the dot-com crash without repeating it
The article ultimately concludes that there is no definitive answer—only competing truths leaders must weigh carefully.
Human Factors and Cybersecurity: Questions from Maria Kardell
The second article shifts the focus from technology to people, examining why human behavior continues to be the most significant vulnerability in cybersecurity.
Using the Qantas breach as a case study, Maria Kardell, chief information officer at LevelBlue, challenges traditional, tool-centric security models and calls for a more human-centered approach to cyber resilience.
Key takeaways include:
- Why people—not firewalls—are the true attack surface
- How cognitive bias, urgency, and context drive unintentional insider risk
- The rise of shadow AI and the risks it introduces
- Why most security failures stem from process and cultural gaps
- The importance of psychological safety in reducing cyber risk
- How leaders can break down silos between IT, security, and business teams
- Why security leaders must become translators of risk across the organization
The article argues that sustainable cybersecurity depends on designing systems around how people actually work—not how policies assume they should.
Why It Matters
Together, these articles highlight a common reality for technology leaders: uncertainty is unavoidable, but preparedness is not optional.
Whether navigating volatile AI investment cycles or defending against increasingly human-driven security risks, leaders must balance innovation with realism, infrastructure with culture, and tools with trust.
About the Author
Theresa Houck
Contributor
Theresa Houck is an award-winning B2B journalist with more than 35 years of experience covering industrial markets, strategy, policy, and economic trends. As Senior Editor at EndeavorB2B, she writes about IT, OT, AI, manufacturing, industrial automation, cybersecurity, energy, data centers, healthcare, and more. In her previous role, she served for 20 years as Executive Editor of The Journal From Rockwell Automation magazine, leading editorial strategy, content development, and multimedia production including videos, webinars, eBooks, newsletters, and the award-winning podcast “Automation Chat.” She also collaborated with teams on social media strategy, sales initiatives, and new product development.
Before joining EndeavorB2B, she was an Industry Analyst at Wolters Kluwer in its human resources book publishing operation. Before that, she spent 14 years with the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Intl., serving as Executive Editor of four magazines in the sheet metal forming and fabricating sector, where she managed and executed editorial strategy, budgets, marketing, book publishing, and circulation operations, and negotiated vendor contracts.
Houck holds a Master of Arts in Communications from the University of Illinois Springfield and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Western Illinois University.
Steve Lasky
Contributor
Steve Lasky has been a professional journalist for 45 years and a 35-year veteran of the security media industry and a multiple-award-winning journalist. He is currently the Group Content Director for the Endeavor Business Security Media Group, the world’s largest security media entity, serving more than 190,000 security professionals in print, interactive and events. It includes Security Executive, Security Business and Locksmith Ledger International magazines, and SecurityInfoWatch.com, the most visited security web portal in the world (www.securityinfowatch.com).
Steve helped launch two of the industry's premier end-user publications over the last three decades. Since the early 2000s, his editorial vision has created the first serious buzz about the convergence of physical and logical security – not only from a technology standpoint, but also from an enterprise business management perspective. Dealing with real issues like compliance, metrics, and business drivers for security, Security Executive magazine is a top read for both the CSO and CISO communities.
Steve was a 26-year member of ASIS and served on the ASIS Physical Security Standing Committee for nine years. He has also been instrumental in several successful peer-to-peer events, including Secured Cities, SecureWorld Expos, and Global Security Operations 2010 (GSO 2010) conferences. In 2007, Steve was awarded the International Association of Professional Security Consultants' annual Charles A. Sennewald Award for Distinguished Service to the security industry. Steve is in demand as a moderator and speaker at security events around the country.
He is a former editor and writer with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Marietta Daily Journal, and Tampa Times and a correspondent for WEDU in Tampa, Florida. Steve is a graduate of the University of South Florida in Tampa and did his post-graduate work at Nicholls State University.
Resources
Quiz
Your Competitive Edge, DeliveredStay ahead of the curve with weekly insights into emerging technologies, cybersecurity, and digital transformation. TechEDGE brings you expert perspectives, real-world applications, and the innovations driving tomorrow’s breakthroughs, so you’re always equipped to lead the next wave of change.
