--- title: "AI Theme Dominates Morning Session of Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting; CEO: Not AI for AI's Sake; Executives: Don't Expect AI to Tell You Which Stock to Buy" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/284975784.md" description: "At the 2026 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders Meeting, AI emerged as a core topic. CEO Greg Abel emphasized the company's pragmatic approach to AI, stating it would never pursue \"AI for AI's sake,\" and that deployment must create tangible business value. Vice Chairman of Insurance Ajit Jain argued that it will still take years for AI to replace complex decision-making and dismissed its ability to pick stocks. A deepfake video of Warren Buffett shown at the meeting served as a warning, highlighting cybersecurity risks" datetime: "2026-05-02T19:54:52.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/284975784.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/284975784.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/284975784.md) --- # AI Theme Dominates Morning Session of Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting; CEO: Not AI for AI's Sake; Executives: Don't Expect AI to Tell You Which Stock to Buy AI theme dominates morning session of Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting; Berkshire CEO states rational deployment strategy. On Saturday, May 2, local time, during the morning session of the 2026 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders Meeting, Warren Buffett’s successor, Greg Abel, stated that **Berkshire maintains a prudent stance on AI and will not engage in AI for AI's sake.** CEO Greg Abel emphasized that **technology deployment must create tangible value for the business. The company is exploring AI implementation paths around core businesses such as railways, while remaining highly vigilant about the cybersecurity risks posed by AI.** **Ajit Jain, Vice Chairman of Insurance Business, poured cold water on the hype, stating that it will "take several years" for AI to handle complex decisions like pricing and claims settlement, and directly denied AI's stock-picking capabilities.** **An AI-generated "deepfake" video of Warren Buffett** caught shareholders off guard, prompting the investment giant to make profound statements on the risks and opportunities of AI. ## Greg Abel: “Never AI for AI's Sake” Unlike the current frenzy in Silicon Valley and on Wall Street, where companies are scrambling to reshape their businesses around AI, Berkshire Hathaway has adopted an extremely pragmatic stance toward this emerging technology. In response to questions about Berkshire's AI strategy, Abel's remarks echoed Buffett's consistent investment philosophy. He said: > **AI must provide substantial benefits to our business. We will deploy AI in a focused manner, oriented toward creating actual value.** He revealed that Berkshire's AI deployment would be narrow and specific, with a core focus on creating value propositions. Abel stated plainly: > We will never do AI for AI's sake. When asked if the company would favor tech companies with strong cash flows in the future, Abel stated that Berkshire would never blindly follow a company simply because it operates in the technology sector. Any investment must return to fundamentals: > Do we understand the business? Do we understand its opportunities and risks? Most importantly, what are its economic prospects over the next 5 to 10 years? Addressing the immense pressure the AI wave is placing on regional power grids, Abel called for isolating the energy usage costs of data centers from ordinary grid consumers. Abel said: > **Hyperscale data centers and their electricity users must bear the full cost.** Previously, environmental and consumer rights advocacy groups had pointed out that **as data centers continue to expand across the United States, requests for power interconnections have reached hundreds of gigawatts, causing electricity bills for many households to rise and exacerbating the burden of energy costs.** ## Human Judgment Remains Berkshire's Moat: AI is a Tool, Not a Decision-Maker Ajit Jain, head of Berkshire Hathaway's insurance business, clearly stated that **although the AI technology boom is sweeping through the insurance industry, human judgment retains an irreplaceable competitive advantage in core decision-making areas such as pricing and claims settlement, and AI cannot replace it in the short term.** Vice Chairman of Insurance Business Ajit Jain said: > If AI becomes reality as predicted, it will undoubtedly be a huge game-changer, but **for now, we see AI more as a tool to enhance productivity, used to reduce labor costs and handle routine, repetitive tasks.** He explicitly stated that the application of AI in complex decision-making areas such as pricing and claims settlement "will still take several years." Jain said: > **If you expect AI to tell you which stock to buy or sell, I don't think that will happen.** **However, in specific business implementations, AI does bring incremental potential.** CEO Abel supplemented this with real-world examples of the insurance team using AI to improve underwriting efficiency. **Abel stated that traditional underwriters might only focus on the top five risks, but now, by leveraging technology, they can "form clear judgments on another fifteen risks."** Abel concluded: > So, making good use of AI in business while soberly recognizing that it is still evolving is, I believe, an appropriate attitude. ## AI Drives BNSF Railway Transformation When discussing the BNSF railway business, which faces pressure from declining freight volumes, technology empowerment has become a key area of potential for maintaining profit margins and competitive advantages. Abel stated: > There is no doubt that this (AI) can be used in our other businesses. We will build what we need ourselves and provide solutions to customers. This is a huge challenge and will not happen overnight. BNSF executive Katie disclosed impressive operational data at the meeting: > **By improving single-car operating efficiency and other measures, we handled more freight volume in the first quarter of this year than in the first quarter of last year, yet we used 260 fewer locomotives.** She pointed out that BNSF is aggressively recruiting data scientists and experts to **explore "digital twins" technology, allowing for simulation modeling of the railway network before actual operation, and providing customers with predictive estimated times of arrival (ETA), thereby accelerating asset turnover and competing against truck transportation.** BNSF has faced pressure from declining freight volumes in recent years and conducted multiple rounds of layoffs in 2024 and 2025. ## Deepfake Buffett Appears, Warning of Cybersecurity Risks At the beginning of the Q&A session, a startling image appeared on the stadium's large screen. A man in a suit, identifying himself as "Warren, from Omaha," asked Abel a question: > I am 95 years old this year, and I have nothing but time and Cherry Coke. I want to know why shareholders should hold Berkshire stock in the long term? **Abel subsequently revealed the truth: this was not real footage, but a deepfake video created using AI technology, entirely without Warren Buffett's participation or authorization.** He then turned this moment into a lesson on risk education. Abel stated: > This serves as a good warning for our team. It is a significant risk that permeates all of Berkshire and that we deal with every day. In response to the AI version of Buffett's question, "Why continue to hold Berkshire?", Abel anchored his answer in the company's massive cash reserves. Abel said: > We hold cash and U.S. Treasury bonds, which serve several purposes. We do not intend to be at anyone's mercy. He emphasized that **it is precisely this huge cash reserve, amounting to $397 billion, that gives Berkshire the confidence to act calmly in any market environment, whether for mergers and acquisitions, share buybacks, or deploying capital into AI when true value is seen.** ### Related Stocks - [BRK.B.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BRK.B.US.md) - [BRK.A.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BRK.A.US.md) - [07777.HK](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/07777.HK.md) ## Related News & Research - [Warren Buffett's message to shareholders and partners: Follow the golden rule](https://longbridge.com/en/news/284973975.md) - [Warren Buffett's exit as CEO doesn't mean Berkshire is going all in on AI, Greg Abel says](https://longbridge.com/en/news/284972185.md) - [ChatGPT 4o faithful want their weird little AI friend back. GPT-5.5 is giving them hope.](https://longbridge.com/en/news/284895129.md) - [These Are April's 2 Hottest AI Stocks. Should You Buy Them in May?](https://longbridge.com/en/news/284971937.md) - [Don't let these 3 AI investing mistakes destroy your gains](https://longbridge.com/en/news/284973764.md)