Artificial Intelligence is undoubtedly on everyone’s lips. However, according to a recent survey by Bitkom, only 2 percent of German companies use generative AI like ChatGPT. In 3 out of 10 companies, the prevailing opinion is that AI is an overrated hype. But are they right?
As a founder, CTO, and business builder, I constantly ask myself which new technologies are really future-proof. And probably you’re wondering the same. Looking back, sometimes my assessments were spot-on, and sometimes I was off the mark. 📈📉
In 1995, when the internet was still largely unknown, I was a tech-enthusiast teenager. Together with a friend, we sold our first leased lines (so-called “semi-permanent” ISDN lines) to B2B customers. We were amazed by the demand and stumbled upon a “small” business (and a trend that lasted a long time). 💻👌
In 2001, I caught an early wave of a trend with Michael Reinicke, PhD – the “Sharing Economy”. Long before Uber and Airbnb appeared and everyone was talking about sharing platforms, we started Carpooling (Mitfahrgelegenheit.de). In 2015, we exited to BlaBlaCar, which is still the world’s leading platform in this segment today – so not a hype, but a sustainable trend. 🚀
I stayed away from SecondLife and Bitcoins. In the first case, it was the right decision. To truly immerse yourself, a virtual world needs to be felt and experienced by the user. The technology and hardware simply weren’t ready for this user experience back in the 2000s. The hype quickly passed. Honestly, I just slept on Bitcoins. Maybe that was my luck, looking at the price fluctuations today. I definitely won’t become a crypto billionaire. 💰
1
Try out technology hypes yourself. Ask yourself if they excite you. If not, stay away.
2
Ask people in your environment who may be less tech-savvy than you, if they can relate to the new technology.
3
Observe what your environment is doing. At the latest, when your children are using a technology you don’t know yet, you should act! 😉
4
Follow the investment markets, see where the money is flowing (lately into AI).
5
Look at other cultures (China, South Korea, Japan, USA) and ask yourself why they use the technologies they do.
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