LLMs are not nothing.

Given the state of things in 2026 and the two "next big things" that preceded generative AI, this is by no means a trivial point.The metaverse was next to nothing. Web3 effectively was nothing. In both cases, an astounding and profoundly embarrassing level of hype was supported by nearly non-existent substance. Large language models are not like the other two. They are a powerful set of tools and represent a fantastic leap forward in natural language processing. There is plenty here to be legitimately excited about without resorting to exaggeration. Unfortunately, bullshitting is habit-forming, particularly when you have the same lack of guardrails and even worse incentives.With almost 20 years having passed since the debut of the last world-changing piece of consumer technology, boosters have grown extraordinarily adept at building economic mountains out of technological molehills, and the press has gone beyond mere complicity to become active collaborators in the construction of…