With the caveat that most people conflate any number of related developments with “5G,” and that many see artificial intelligence as a product rather than a capability, the Gartner hype cycle suggests we should soon begin hearing about 5G disappointments and dashed hopes. Gartner believes a period of disillusionment happens with most new technologies, and 5G is about at the peak of such expectations.
Hype around various forms of artificial intelligence continues to build and will likely be even harder to comprehend than 5G, as AI represents different ways of using computing to derive insights, but also is not a “product” one buys.
People can buy 5G service, 5G phones and devices; they cannot purchase “AI” off the shelf as a product they consume and use directly. Instead, AI will enhance the performance of all sorts of devices, software, apps and networks.
That can make conversations about “AI” quite difficult. A better way to approach matters is to view any number of emerging capabilities and technologies as ways to reduce business friction, allowing firms to understand and target customer needs; improve the quality of their experiences with a product; reduce the cost of creating and providing products; increase sales; boost profit margins and heighten customer delight.
The more practical the setting, the less likely it is that people, executives or firms will want to spend too much time hearing about AI. But any number of emerging and new technologies have value because they promise to take friction out of any business process.
And friction means cost, waste, delay, customers less happy than they might otherwise be, less precise satisfaction of customer wants and needs.
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