The AI industry has gone through all 5 stages of acceptance — where are we now
In eight years, the AI industry has gone from denial to acceptance. Google developed transformers in 2017 but did not even patent them. Today we acknowledge AI'
The AI industry has gone through all five stages of psychological acceptance according to the Kübler-Ross model — from denial to ultimate recognition of a new reality. The journey was long and full of contradictions.
Denial and Anger: The Early Years
In 2017, eight engineers from Google developed the transformer architecture — the mathematical foundation of all modern generative models. Google didn't even patent this invention. The denial was complete. It seemed like just another scientific breakthrough among many. Anger came later. When Dario Amodei and part of the team left OpenAI, it symbolized growing frustration and a struggle for control over AI. Tech giants realized they had missed the moment.
Bargaining and Risk Awareness
Active bargaining began — companies bought up AI startups, competed for talent, invested billions. Bargaining gave way to depression. An avalanche of articles about how AI would replace everyone, leaving no one without a job. Existential questions became mainstream.
- Fear of layoffs and retraining
- Questions about regulation and safety
- Debates about moral components
- Doubts about the sustainability of AI-based business models
Acceptance: The New Normal
Today we are at the final stage — acceptance. The industry has acknowledged that AI carries risks for the labor market, but also understood a simple thing: complete replacement of humans is impossible. AI expands capabilities, reformats roles, but does not exclude people.
"It is not a question of whether AI will replace humans, but how
humans will learn to work with AI," — this is the position of most industry leaders today.
The Paradox: Winners Are Those Who Don't Rely on AI
Here lies an interesting paradox. The development of generative AI can provide a career boost precisely to those specialists who do not rely on AI in their core work. For example, specialists in team management, negotiation, strategy creation, artists with original vision. AI can enhance their work, but cannot replace its essence.
What This Means
We have moved out of oscillation and entered a period of stabilization. This does not mean that AI has stopped — it is developing faster than ever. But the attitude has changed: from fear and denial to a rational combination of understanding both capabilities and limitations. The industry is learning to live with AI, rather than fight against it.