Frontier AI has outgrown the lab. The decisive questions now are about power — who builds the models, who controls them, and who gets to build on top of them. AI Frontiers is for the people doing the building: founders and operators creating products, companies, and strategy at the edge of what AI can do — on infrastructure owned by a handful of labs and governed from a handful of capitals. Each season charts where that frontier has moved, from the labs shipping the models to the capitals writing the rules, and what it means for anyone building something that lasts on ground that keeps shifting. Hosted by Fabio Lauria, founder of ELECTE. No hype, no jargon — strategy, stakes, and a builder's-eye view of the most consequential infrastructure of the century.
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
0:00
|
8:09
In this thought-provoking episode, we explore a future where artificial intelligence becomes as ubiquitous and essential as electricity. What happens when this powerful technology fades into the background, seamlessly integrating into our daily lives? Join us as we discuss the implications of AI's evolution into an invisible force that reshapes industries, enhances human capabilities, and transforms societal norms.
Key topics include the potential for AI to drive unprecedented innovation, the ethical considerations of its omnipresence, and how businesses can prepare for this paradigm shift. We’ll also delve into the ways AI could redefine our understanding of intelligence and creativity, making it a vital component of our future.
Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a business leader, or simply curious about the future of AI, this episode is packed with insights that will challenge your perceptions. Don’t miss out—tune in now to discover how the invisible hand of AI could change everything!
In 2026, something extraordinary will happen. Talking about AI will become boring. The sign that artificial intelligence has won will not be an announcement. It will be silence. In 2026, AI will no longer be news. Not because it will be less powerful, quite the contrary, but because it will be everywhere. Integrated, reliable, invisible. It will not be AI that becomes boring. It will be talking about it that becomes boring, like GPS, like streaming, like electricity. Technologies that truly change the world cease to be mentioned. They simply work. The great paradox of 2026 today, everyone says we've implemented AI. Just as in 1998, people said we're on the internet. In 2026, no one will say that anymore. Not because AI will be dead, spoiler, it will be more alive than ever. But because mentioning it will be as ridiculous as saying we use electricity in our company. Here's what will really happen. One, models will become commodities and that's good news. The war between GPT, Claude, and Gemini? In 2026, it will be folklore, not because one will have won, but because they will all be good enough to make the choice irrelevant. Like the cloud today, no one chooses it for computing quality. They all do the same things. Competition will return to where it has always been. In execution and user experience in solving real problems, no longer which model do you use? But what problem do you solve? Two, in 2024-2025, everyone will be talking about AI for SMEs. In 2026, it will actually happen for three very simple reasons. Costs will plummet. The price war has already begun. In 2026, it will be a bloodbath. Solutions will become stupid in a good way. Plug and play, zero configuration, zero endless onboarding. Competitive pressure will become real. Those who don't use AI will be out of the market. Three, the AI Act will end up in the newspapers in the wrong way. In twenty twenty six, the AI Act will begin to produce concrete cases. Not yet for large penalties, but for the first visible applications of the rules. Many organizations will discover that what they consider experimentation today will tomorrow be interpreted as ungoverned operational use, and that the distance between we are testing it and we are responsible for it is much shorter than it seems. The good news? Those who have already set up governance processes and responsibilities by 2025 will have a huge competitive advantage. Compliance will cease to be just a cost. It will become a feature. Four, AI consultants will disappear and with them the dinosaurs of consulting. In 2025, everyone will be selling AI consulting. In 2026, the market will demand results, not slides. We'll implement AI for you. Okay. What does it do exactly? It increases productivity. By how much? How quickly? At what cost? End of conversation. And no, it's not just the improvised consultants who will disappear. The McKinsey model is collapsing and they know it. For 50 years, the business model has been as follows: one senior partner, 800 hour, three managers, 400 hour, ten junior analysts, 200 hour. The juniors do 80% of the work. The partner sells and supervises. Magical leverage ratio, 110. In 2026, this pyramid will collapse. Data analysis done in minutes. Two. Presentations generated in an hour. Five research real-time sources, $10. Work that used to be billed at $200 per hour now costs $20. And they can't compete on price because they have huge overheads, outdated facilities, untouchable partnership models who will really win in 2026. Only three categories will survive. One, AI native boutiques that sell outcomes. We reduce analysis time by 40% ROI in six months. Fixed price, not hours. Three senior people plus AI beat 30 traditional people. Two, the few large consultancies that reinvent themselves. Goodbye Pyramid Senior Plus Proprietary AI tools. They sell IP, not manpower. Those who manage to build their own GPT consulting will survive. Three, those who solve specific problems very well, not generic AI consulting. But supply chain for fashion credit scoring for regional banks, demand forecasting for retail AI does not replace expertise. It multiplies it. The great leveling in 2026, we will discover that the small beat, the big AI native beats AI add-on outcomes beat ours. Those who say today, we have 100 years of experience beat the will discover that that experience is codified in slides that AI has already digested. Mega contracts worth 5 million will become 500K outcome-based. Teams of 50 people will become five people plus AI. Pyramids of 200 juniors will become one senior plus one model. This is not democratization, it is disruption. 5. The real winner. Those who solve trivial problems very well. While everyone is chasing AGI and superintelligence, in 2026, someone will make money by solving stupid problems. Extracting data from PDF invoices without errors, responding to customer emails with common sense, creating reports that are readable by humans, the most complex technology at the service of the simplest problems. This is the real revolution. What to do in 2025 to be ready for 2026? If you don't want to be the one who in 2026 is evaluating AI. Identify a specific problem. Test, measure, iterate. Get yourself in order now, not later. Train people who understand business and AI, ignore the hype, model names don't matter. Only what you solve matters. The uncomfortable truth in 2026, AI will not be the future. It will be the present. Trivial, integrated, invisible, and that's the best news possible. Because we will stop chasing science fiction promises and start building companies that work better, cost less, and serve customers better. AI will disappear from the headlines, and it will appear in the balance sheets. This is the 2026 I see. A boring year in terms of narrative, concrete in terms of results, productive in reality, and I can't wait. The owner of the pizzeria downstairs already uses AI to manage orders. It's called Deliveroo or something like that. He doesn't call it AI. He calls it that program that saves me time. And that's exactly how it should be. Fabio Laura, Fabio Lauria, CEO and founder, elect, welcome to the Elect A Newsletter. This newsletter explores the fascinating world of artificial intelligence, explaining how it is transforming the way we live and work. We share engaging stories and surprising discoveries about AI, from the most creative applications to new emerging tools, right up to the impact these changes have on our daily lives. You don't need to be a tech expert. Through clear language and concrete examples, we transform complex concepts into compelling stories. Whether you're interested in the latest AI discoveries, the most surprising innovations, or simply want to stay up to date on technology trends, this newsletter will guide you through the wonders of artificial intelligence. It's like having a curious and passionate guide who takes you on a weekly journey to discover the most interesting and unexpected developments in the world of AI, told in an engaging and accessible way. Subscribe now, sign up now to access the complete newsletter archive. Join a community of curious minds and explorers of the future.
