Where Are We on the AI Hype Cycle, Really?

Are we at the peak of the AI hype cycle, or still climbing? Our panel of analysts and builders debates where we actually stand, why historic marketing dollars will extend the peak longer than expected, and why the trough of disillusionment could be deeper than what we saw with cloud computing. One thing is certain: when kids instinctively say "that's AI, that's not real," we've entered uncharted territory. This is a key takeaway from our Insight Jam LIVE! 2025 panel, "Machine Age Market Architecture: Rethinking Strategy, Energy & Security". Check out the full discussion here: https://youtu.be/1nKhmO-Daeg Join the Insight Jam today! — https://insightjam.com/ • PANELISTS • Rich Mogull https://www.linkedin.com/in/richmogull/ Chief Analyst, Cloud Security Alliance Alex Stoewer https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-stoewer-0a9a026/ Chief Executive Officer, Greenlight Data Centers David Linthicum https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidlinthicum/ Founder & Lead Researcher, Linthicum Research Eric Kavanagh https://www.linkedin.com/in/erickavanagh/ Chief Executive Officer & DM Radio Host, The Bloor Group James Kobielus https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameskobielus/ Research Director & Principal Analyst, Franconia Research Michael Morgenstern https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelimorgenstern/ Partner, DayBlink Consulting • CHAPTERS • 0:00 The Gartner Hype Cycle: Where Are We? 1:29 Still at the Peak—And It's Going to Last 2:27 Small Language Models and Efficiency Gains 3:09 Auto-Coding Is Now the Predominant Way to Build Apps 4:00 Claude Can Expedite Development—And Future Trouble 4:19 Historic Marketing Dollars Will Extend the Peak 5:24 We Don't Know Where We Are on the Exponential Curve 6:42 When Kids Say "That's AI"—Trust Has Changed Forever