AI technology has been one of the biggest newsmakers of this year. It spanned from major developments made in Large Language Models, advancements in the infrastructure for data centers, hefty investments in the industry, and the emergence of the AI bubble.
Although the debate over the fragility of the bubble persists, AI companies around the world have been taking major steps to improve their AI tools and models and expand their use cases across different sectors.
Recently, OpenAI took to their X profile to announce the company’s predictions for the AI tech industry in the next year. In the post, they addressed the gaps that encompass the potential of LLMs and the extent to which people have been making optimal usage of AI tools and models in their daily lives. This ignited a major conversation on social media regarding the role human beings play in the development and implementation of AI use cases across various industries and in day-to-day work experiences.
OpenAI shares 2026 predictions of AI research and development
On December 24, OpenAI posted on X to share their prediction of the kind of direction the AI industry will take in terms of research and development. The post begins by highlighting the gaps that exist with regard to what the LLMs are capable of and how people utilize them in real life. It read, “Capability overhang means too many gaps today between what the models can do and what most people actually do with them.”
Capability overhang means too many gaps today between what the models can do and what most people actually do with them.
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) December 23, 2025
2026 Prediction: Progress towards AGI will depend as much on helping people use AI well, in ways that directly benefit them as on progress in frontier models… pic.twitter.com/v2q6swfLhd
The post then proceeded to specify the company’s prediction for the upcoming year. It read, “2026 Prediction: Progress towards AGI will depend as much on helping people use AI well, in ways that directly benefit them as on progress in frontier models themselves.” Highlighting the primary goal of educating people about the use of AI, the industry is also expected to anticipate state-of-the-art LLMs coming to fruition.
Towards the end, the post reiterated that the developments in AI technology in 2026 will contribute to “frontier research.” Simultaneously, the prediction stated that the “deployment gap” will be addressed, particularly in the fields of “health care, business, and people’s daily lives.”
Related: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Believes GPT-5.2 Is Smarter Than Claude AI, Gemini
OpenAI’s post ignites debate on AI deployment gap
OpenAI’s recent post on their predictions for next year regarding AI research and development sparked an elaborate debate in the comment section. Opinion swayed sharply from certain comments being pro-AI to those criticizing how the prediction problematized the human factor in the research and development of AI technology. Netizens in support of the ongoing contributions made in the industry acknowledged that the positionality of human beings in the scheme hinders the growth of AGI.
are you suggesting that THE HUMANS IN THE LOOP are the BOTTLENECK to AGI now?!? 😱
— Pliny the Liberator 🐉󠅫󠄼󠄿󠅆󠄵󠄐󠅀󠄼󠄹󠄾󠅉󠅭 (@elder_plinius) December 23, 2025
ᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ’ꜱ ᴇxᴀᴄᴛʟʏ ʀɪɢʜᴛ
However, a significant number of netizens in the comments questioned how the deployment gap between the potential of the LLMs and their utility by people emerged in the first place. One user highlighted that instead of investigating the gap, AI companies could focus on resolving issues by putting to the forefront experts who can inculcate the optimal usage of AI tools and models in day to day lives.
Question…if not knowing how to how to use AI properly is the biggest gap, then why are you not solving more problems as the people who, i assume, know the most about how to use ai properly?
— thoughtlesslabs (@thoughtlesslabs) December 23, 2025
Similar conversations continue to emerge in the context of AI development as well as the resulting deployment gap. Nevertheless, it is important to note that the fast-paced nature of the growth of AGI could have a far-reaching influence on various industries, primarily in healthcare and business.
Also Read: SpaceX’s New Market Cap Could Pack A Big Punch at OpenAI
