#188: AI Trends for 2026, Google DeepMind AI Predictions, Gemini 3 Flash, AI World Models & Are AI Job Losses Overblown?

Is 2026 the year society finally pushes back against artificial intelligence? In this year's final episode, Paul Roetzer and Mike Kaput explore the immediate future of AGI, analyzing Demis Hassabis’s warning of a shift ten times larger than the Industrial Revolution and Shane Legg’s prediction of human-level intelligence by 2028. The hosts break down critical developments, including Google’s Gemini 3 Flash, OpenAI’s staggering valuation talks, and the rise of world models that simulate physical reality. Show Notes: Access the show notes and show links here Click here to take this week's AI Pulse. Timestamps: 00:00:00 — Intro 00:03:27 — AI Pulse 00:07:05 — AI Trends to Watch in 2026 00:31:59 — Demis Hassabis on the Future of Intelligence 00:42:35 — DeepMind Co-Founder on the Arrival of AGI 00:47:53 — Are AI Job Fears Overblown? 00:56:05 — Gemini 3 Flash 00:59:38 — OpenAI Eyes Billions in Fresh Funding 01:02:19 — OpenAI Releases New ChatGPT Images 01:04:18 — Karen Hao Issues AI Book Correction 01:08:18 — AI Keeps Getting Political (Roundup) 01:12:51 — AI World Models 01:17:31 — US Government Launches Tech Force This episode is brought to you by AI Academy by SmarterX. AI Academy is your gateway to personalized AI learning for professionals and teams. Discover our new on-demand courses, live classes, certifications, and a smarter way to master AI. You can get $100 off an individual purchase or a membership by using code POD100 at academy.smarterx.ai. Visit our website Receive our weekly newsletter Join our community: Slack LinkedIn Twitter Instagram Facebook Looking for content and resources? Register for a free webinar Come to our next Marketing AI Conference Enroll in our AI Academy