Is AI Trending Up or Down in 2026? | AI Reality Check

From Deep Questions with Cal Newport by Cal Newport

April 23, 2026 · 1h 13m

About this episode

Cal Newport critically examines the state of AI in 2026, discussing various developments and news.

Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News. Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia 0:00 What has *Actually* Happened in AI in 2026? 3:07 Open Claw 27:53 Anthropic and the Department of War 49:06 Data Centers Links: Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at www.calnewport.com/slow https://www.axios.com/2026/01/31/ai-moltbook-human-need-tech https://www.macstories.net/stories/clawdbot-showed-me-what-the-future-of-personal-ai-assistants-looks-like/ https://www.anthropic.com/news/statement-department-of-war https://futurism.com/science-energy/data-centers-construction-supply Thanks to Jesse Miller for production and mastering and Nate Mechler for research and newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Cal Newport

Topics covered

AI
technology
2026
critical analysis
data centers
personal AI assistants

Keywords

AI
2026
Open Claw
Anthropic
Department of War
data centers
Slow Productivity

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Anthropic, Department of War, Open Claw, Cal Newport Media, Axios, MacStories, Futurism

Books & works: Slow Productivity