AI Bubble Bursts, Economy Says ‘Don’t Mind Me, I’m Still Chugging’

KEY POINTS

•In January 2026, Macro Research Board Partners published a report disputing the idea that AI drove most GDP growth in 2025.
•Prajakta Bhide explained personal consumption was still the primary GDP driver, with AI’s impact largely limited to software investment.
•Despite robust consumer spending in 2025, imports of high-tech equipment reduced AI’s overall GDP contribution, keeping data centers’ impact negligible.

In a January 2026 report that punched the hype hard, Macro Research Board Partners mercilessly busted the myth that AI was the economy’s sugar daddy in 2025. Led by economic strategist Prajakta Bhide, MRB Partners pointed out that while 2025 saw gangsta-level AI infrastructure investments (yes, those shiny data centers we like to flex about), personal consumer spending—the everyday splurges on lattes and TikTok merch—still hogged the GDP spotlight. Bhide's spicy analysis dished out that despite AI software flirting with GDP numbers, imports of tech gear (think of Auntie's gadget shopping spree overseas) actually dragged contributions down since imports deduct from GDP. Meanwhile, America's corporate swans Nvidia, Alphabet, and Apple, clutching a collective $22 trillion AI bet, might have to chill since GDP muscles flexed far beyond their geeky domain. Moral of the story? Your midnight online shopping addiction continues to prop up the economy more than any robo-genius with code.