Skeptical of any magic bullet
Having been in the tech world for 30-plus years, I consistently follow a single rule: There are no magic bullets, and anything promoted as such is typically a lousy investment. I’ve gotten used to technology cheerleaders barraging me with new ideas, some with a billion dollars of marketing behind them. Generative AI is the current darling, and although some ideas are sound and reasonable investments, many are not.
For whatever reason, people get invested in specific technologies or products, and anybody who questions them becomes an enemy. I’ve never understood that line of thinking, but I always run into it. You must break down any technology into parts and determine what parts bring ROI.
In the early days of 5G promotion, marketing teams painted a picture of ultra-high speeds, reduced latency, and massive connectivity capabilities that would revolutionize industries. It was an enticing vision of fully autonomous vehicles seamlessly communicating with smart city infrastructures, and Internet of Things devices maneuvering effortlessly through a hyper-connected ecosystem. Many organizations envisioned that 5G would elevate their operations by enhancing real-time data processing and supporting advanced applications, including augmented reality and machine learning.