Apollo’s Slok: AI slowdown could trigger recession


Apollo chief economist Torsten Slok warns an AI payoff slowdown could harm growth and risk tipping the economy into recession.

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Torsten Slok, Apollo Global's chief economist, told CNBC Fast Money that a significant slowdown in the payoff from artificial intelligence could tip the economy into a recession. That is important because Apollo is not just commenting from the sidelines; its business model ties fee income and carried interest to asset valuations and successful exits, which are vulnerable if growth and realizations slow. Slok's warning turns an abstract tech debate into a direct balance-sheet risk for shareholders and for anyone who has been treating AI-driven gains as permanent.