I am all-in on Generative AI and I am learning as much as I can. There is definitely hype around ChatGPT, Midjourney, Microsoft Copilot, Poe, Bard, Ernie, and the one that was released today, but this tech is for real.
Where are you on the ChatGPT hype cycle? Just learning about ChatGPT? Have you been using it for a year?
What is the Gartner Hype Cycle?
Gartner created the Hype Cycle concept and use it as a representation of the maturity and adoption of technologies and applications, and how they are potentially relevant to solving real business problems and exploiting new opportunities.
You know when there’s a buzz about some new tech that’s about to hit the streets? That’s what we call the “Innovation Trigger.” It’s like the starting gun for the tech hype race. We get a sneak peek of what’s coming, and even though it’s super early days with no real products to play with yet, everyone’s talking about it.
Then comes the “Peak of Inflated Expectations.” It’s like a tech fairytale with heroes and, let’s be real, a fair share of flops. Stories of instant success make the rounds, and while some folks are jumping on the bandwagon, not everyone’s ready to dance.
But reality hits with the “Trough of Disillusionment.” This is the part where the initial excitement starts to fizzle out. Some of the tech doesn’t live up to the hype, and we see a bunch of projects that don’t quite make it. Only the really promising stuff sticks around because, well, they’ve got to show us they’re worth it.
As we dig ourselves out, we climb up the “Slope of Enlightenment.” We’re getting the hang of this technology and figuring out all the cool ways it can actually help us out. Tech makers are getting savvier, launching better versions of their products. Businesses are getting smarter, too, testing the waters before diving in.
We finally reach the “Plateau of Productivity.” This is when technology becomes a regular part of our lives. We know what to expect and which tools are the real deal. It’s not just for the tech-savvy anymore; it’s for everyone.
Where Am I?
It’s been a strange year for me. Looking back at November 2022, pre-ChatGPT, I was primed and ready for a productivity tool. I had many long stretches of time last year to read, listen, and pay attention to what was going on in tech. I had become aware of GPT-2 and GPT-3 and immediately recognized what ChatGPT could do when it was released. I am firmly in the Plateau of Productivity part of my hype cycle. Although I regress from time to time as new platforms get released, my takeaway is that it is natural to go through different phases as something new comes out, but it is important to figure out if this is something that is going to help you or hold you back. I have decided that this is important to me and really important for others to embrace. It’s like knowing that if you put on this ring, you have superpowers. But you have to put on the ring to get the powers. Every time you leave the ring behind, you are saying to yourself, “I guess that I want to shoot lightning bolts from my finger tips today.” ChatGPT is that special ring. With it on, you can write faster, generate new ideas, write code, and finish projects. Why are you not using ChatGPT all of the time?
