The Emerging Fifth Scaling Paradigm of AI
AI capability is not a single curve; it is four overlapping paradigms, each with distinct inputs, mechanisms, walls, and economic structures.
Understanding which paradigm you are in determines whether you invest in data, alignment, inference compute, or orchestration. The transitions between them are forced, not chosen.
The competitive map of 2026 is best read through this lens.
Yet, and this is a key point for this structural analysis, a fight paradigm is now emerging that will define the industry in 2026-27.
