With various types of AI moving through the Hype Cycle, we're now seeing some of the most talked about and used among them, including GenAI, enter the trough of disillusionment.
Gartner's global chief of Research, Chris Howard, explores how to understand the increasingly complex nature of managing AI—from budgeting to rollout to measuring performance—and how this can lead to reaching the plateau of productivity.
Trough of disillusionment
"When you hit the trough of disillusionment on what Gartner calls the Hype Cycle, that's where some of the magic wears off. So you're interested in something, and it becomes very overhyped. Eventually, it falls into the trough of disillusionment, and that's where the work begins," explains Howard.
Howard also explains another scenario in which organisations are fascinated by a trend that seems magical, easy, or impressive, but once they start working with it, they realise that it's challenging and complicated.
Balancing complexity and simplicity
Howard explains that too much simplicity can blind you from possibilities.
"It'll force you into a bias that blinds you from other things you should be doing. So, too much simplicity can be a bad thing as well. My mantra for people is that simplicity is well-managed complexity. Things will usually stay complex. What we're trying to do is to make things easier to use," he said.
Full video here: Gartner
