Hype Cycle

ScientificConcept

A graphical representation of the maturity and adoption of technologies, used to frame the discussion around AI agents.


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7/20/2025, 10:25:51 PM

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7/20/2025, 10:45:57 PM

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7/20/2025, 10:38:09 PM

Summary

The Gartner Hype Cycle is a conceptual framework introduced in 1995 by Gartner analyst Jackie Fenn, designed to graphically illustrate the maturity, adoption, and social application of emerging technologies through five distinct phases. It helps organizations understand the progression of new innovations from initial breakthrough to mainstream adoption. In discussions about technology trends, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Hype Cycle is frequently invoked to describe the current state of enterprise adoption, with many businesses reportedly in the "Trough of Disillusionment" due to practical challenges like managing AI "hallucinations," despite rapid advancements in underlying technologies such as reasoning models. This highlights the significant hurdles that remain in achieving reliable AI deployment.

Referenced in 1 Document
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
  • Purpose

    Graphically represent the maturity, adoption, and social application of specific technologies

  • Developer

    Gartner

  • Key Phases

    Innovation Trigger, Peak of Inflated Expectations, Trough of Disillusionment, Slope of Enlightenment, Plateau of Productivity

  • Introduced by

    Jackie Fenn

  • Number of Phases

    5

  • Introduction Year

    1995

  • Current Application Example

    Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies are in the 'Trough of Disillusionment'

Timeline
  • The Gartner Hype Cycle framework was introduced by Gartner analyst Jackie Fenn. (Source: Wikipedia)

    1995-01-01

  • Many enterprises are currently in the 'Trough of Disillusionment' phase regarding AI adoption, facing challenges like managing AI 'hallucinations'. (Source: Related Document 44a07cad-2323-4212-9339-0c55198fbc83)

    2024-01-01

Gartner hype cycle

The Gartner hype cycle is a graphical presentation developed, used and branded by the American research and advisory firm Gartner to represent the maturity, adoption, and social application of specific technologies. The hype cycle framework was introduced in 1995 by Gartner analyst Jackie Fenn to provide a graphical and conceptual presentation of the maturity of emerging technologies through five phases.

Web Search Results
  • The 2025 Hype Cycle for Artificial Intelligence Goes Beyond GenAI

    The AI Hype Cycle is Gartner’s graphical representation of the maturity, adoption metrics and business impact of AI technologies (including GenAI). It helps organizations understand where different AI innovations are on the path to becoming mainstream, why they are where they are and what these innovations mean in the context of the overall AI landscape. Attend a Conference Experience Information Technology conferences [...] AI-native software engineering, a set of practices and principles optimized for using AI-based tools to develop and deliver software applications, make their AI Hype Cycle debut this year. Today’s software engineers can use AI to autonomously or semi-autonomously perform a series of tasks across the software development life cycle. Much of this is limited to AI assistants and testing tools in coding and testing activities. It reads more like AI augmentation than independent AI. [...] Further supporting the shift in focus toward foundational AI technologies, the two biggest movers on this year’s Hype Cycle are AI-ready data and AI agents. Both sit at the Peak of Inflated Expectations.

  • Gartner hype cycle - Wikipedia

    The Gartner hype cycle is a graphical presentation developed, used and branded by the American research and advisory firm Gartner to represent the maturity, adoption, and social application of specific technologies. The hype cycle framework was introduced in 1995 by Gartner analyst Jackie Fenn[\[1\]]( to provide a graphical and conceptual presentation of the maturity of emerging technologies through five phases.[\[2\]]( History ------- \[edit\] [...] There have been numerous criticisms[\[11\]]( of the hype cycle, prominent among which are that it is not a cycle, that the outcome does not depend on the nature of the technology itself, that it is not scientific in nature, and that it does not reflect changes over time in the speed at which technology develops. Another is that it is limited in its application, as it prioritizes economic considerations in decision-making processes. It seems to assume that a business' performance is tied to the [...] Five phases ----------- \[edit\] Image 6 General hype cycle for technology Each hype cycle drills down into the five key phases of a technology's life cycle. 1\. Technology trigger A potential technology breakthrough kicks things off. Early proof-of-concept stories and media interest trigger significant publicity. Often no usable products exist and commercial viability is unproven. 2\. Peak of inflated expectations

  • Gartner Hype Cycle Research Methodology

    When new technologies make bold promises, how do you discern the hype from what’s commercially viable? And when will such claims pay off, if at all? Gartner Hype Cycles provide a graphic 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. Gartner Hype Cycle methodology gives you a view of how a technology or application will evolve over time, providing a sound [...] Each Hype Cycle drills down into the five key phases of a technology’s life cycle. Innovation Trigger: A potential technology breakthrough kicks things off. Early proof-of-concept stories and media interest trigger significant publicity. Often no usable products exist and commercial viability is unproven. Peak of Inflated Expectations: Early publicity produces a number of success stories — often accompanied by scores of failures. Some companies take action; many do not. [...] #### How do you use Hype Cycles? Clients use Hype Cycles to get educated about the promise of an emerging technology within the context of their industry and individual appetite for risk. Should you make an early move? If you’re willing to combine risk-taking with an understanding that risky investments don’t always pay off, you could reap the rewards of early adoption.

  • Gartner 2024 Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies Highlights ...

    The Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies is unique among Gartner Hype Cycles because it distills key insights from more than 2,000 technologies and applied frameworks that Gartner profiles each year into a succinct set of “must-know” emerging technologies. These technologies have potential to deliver transformational benefits over the next two to 10 years (see Figure 1). ##### Figure 1. Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies, 2024 Image 2: Figure 1. Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies, 2024 [...] The 25 disruptive technologies to watch on the Gartner, Inc.Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies, 2024 fall into four key areas: autonomous AI, developer productivity, total experience, and human-centric security and privacy programs. [...] Discover how our solutions help you make faster, smarter decisions and achieve stronger performance on your mission-critical priorities.

  • What is the Gartner Hype Cycle? – TechTarget Definition

    Routing Information Protocol (RIP) is a distance vector protocol that uses hop count as its primary metric. See complete definition New & Updated Definitions ------------------------- [...] Published Time: 2023-02-10T12:00Z What is the Gartner Hype Cycle? – TechTarget Definition =============== WhatIs Search the TechTarget Network Browse Definitions : A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z # Login Register TechTarget Network Tech Accelerator News 2024 IT Salary Survey Results RSS [...] Search Customer Experience