ChatGPT smashed records earlier this year when it reached 100 million users within a couple of months. It will never live up to all of the hype, but generative AI clearly deserves closer inspection. The same applies to a number of other emerging technologies — some clearly overhyped (e.g., the metaverse), some almost sneaking in under the radar (e.g., edge intelligence), and some fading into the background (e.g., enterprise blockchain).

But how do you cut through the noise to work out when and where to commit your company’s finite resources? Not every emerging technology succeeds, and even those that do rarely match the inflated expectations of their most vocal champions.

By picking just a few of today’s frothiest emerging technologies, we’ll walk through what they are, what they’re supposed to be capable of, and talk about where they might actually deliver some business value in the short term. We’ll highlight some of the patterns to watch out for in order to help spot those technologies that are more deserving of your innovation budget — and those that it might be safer to just watch from afar.

Want to learn more? We’ll be speaking at Forrester’s Technology & Innovation EMEA this October. We’ll use examples from firms’ adoption of emerging technologies to highlight lessons that are broadly applicable to leaders across industries. Join us to hear what we’ve learned, to ask questions, and to share your own experiences.