AI whiplash forces investors to face long-standing warnings

AI stocks whiplash is forcing investors to confront what global financial advisory giant deVere has been warning for more than six months.

The abrupt swing in sentiment has not created a new problem; it’s illuminated one the market chose not to acknowledge.

deVere Group CEO Nigel Green has spent months explaining that the pace of AI valuation expansion demanded proof of durability, proof the market was in no hurry to demand. This patience has evaporated.

For half a year he has outlined that AI investment has raced ahead of commercial validation. Capital has surged into infrastructure, computer power and model development at extraordinary scale, but the financial results required to support that investment have lagged behind the story being told around it.

Nigel Green has been pointing to this imbalance long before volatility made it visible.

He says: “AI is a transformative force across global markets, yet transformation must demonstrate financial strength. When valuations stretch beyond evidence, pressure builds under the surface. This pressure is now visible.”

The acceleration of AI spending rested on an assumption that every layer of the ecosystem — hardware, energy, advanced chips, deployment, integration — would expand at the same pace and without disruption.

Nigel Green has been clear that this assumption conflicted with real-world constraints. Rising component costs, tightening supply conditions, and geopolitical intervention under President Donald Trump’s administration added friction long before markets acknowledged it.

He has consistently stressed that AI leadership demands commercial resilience.

“Innovation alone is no longer enough. Companies must show that AI investment strengthens earnings, improves margins and supports long-term financial performance,” he says.

That message is now being absorbed by investors who had assumed the sector would continue to advance without encountering resistance. The sharp reversals across AI-linked assets have exposed the gap between expectation and delivery. Nigel Green has spent more than six months urging investors to identify which firms possess the operational clarity and financial foundations to justify their valuations.

He says: “Strong AI companies will prove their strength through consistent results. They can support their investment cycles, protect their margins and show measurable progress. Those qualities matter more than ever.”

The shift carries implications for institutional investors, sovereign funds, corporate strategists and asset managers. AI exposure has become widespread, often embedded deeply within portfolios, yet the quality of underlying assets varies significantly.

Nigel Green has been clear that broad enthusiasm for AI masked crucial distinctions between firms with durable economic models and those relying on momentum.

He says: “This moment demands selectivity. Evidence matters, not assumptions.”

The turbulence now unfolding does not weaken AI’s central role in global development. It strengthens it by forcing a focus on economic truth rather than pure narrative. Nigel Green has emphasised repeatedly that AI continues to drive productivity, innovation, national strategy and industry reinvention.

The long-term trajectory remains strong. What changes is the standard of evidence required to command market confidence.

He says: “AI is entering a more demanding phase. Companies that combine innovation with robust financial performance will define the future.

“Investors absolutely should have exposure to AI within their portfolios as it’s utterly transformative, but they must now, more than ever, be judicious.”