Nearly two years since ChatGPT sparked a global generative AI fever, CIOs have turned talk into action, shifting priorities, setting up experiments and mitigating roadblocks along the way. But as enthusiasm for generative AI shows signs of cooling, tech leaders will likely need to recalibrate their strategy. Generative AI is approaching a moment of reckoning, according to Arun Chandrasekaran, distinguished VP analyst at Gartner. In Gartner’s annual Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies report, the research and advisory company placed generative AI past the peak of inflated expectations, and down the path towards what it calls the trough of disillusionment. The stage is characterized by dwindling excitement around the new technology as the rubber meets the road for early adopters. Chandrasekaran said the disillusionment — or unhappiness with the technology — likely stems from three areas:
- Current models are versatile but mainly general purpose, and enterprises have struggled to steer them into enterprise use cases.
- Organizations have underestimated the challenge of setting up governance and data infrastructure for these capabilities.
- The initial wave of generative AI solutions, while valuable, may not be delivering the high promise vendors claimed.
The key for technology leaders is to not let the potential doom and gloom halt momentum entirely. CIOs can weather the storm by setting and reinforcing realistic expectations around generative AI and the ROI tied to specific projects.
Full commentary : Tech debt and a lack of AI-readiness threaten progress as Gartner warns about short-term disillusionment ahead.
