For the inaugural episode of the new Ride AI podcast, author and analyst Ed Niedermeyer discusses the hype and disillusionment surrounding several new mobility technologies—namely autonomous vehicles—with Mike Ramsey, a vice president at Gartner. Ramsey explains the five parts of a hype cycle, including the innovation trigger and the trough of disillusionment, and provides historical analysis for where he believes autonomy is today on the road to mass adoption.

• Ed and Mike discuss the concept of the five-part "hype cycle" in technology adoption: innovation trigger, peak of inflated expectations, trough of disillusionment, slope of enlightenment, and plateau of productivity.
• The "slope of enlightenment" is explained as the phase where technologies become useful and start to see real-world applications.
• Autonomy in vehicles, while not profitable yet, is advancing (especially in robotaxis)
• Meanwhile autonomous technology is diffusing into other industries like agriculture, mining, and construction, where simple design domains allow for easier implementation.
• Despite challenges, significant investment in autonomy has advanced technologies like vision systems and edge AI.
• The hype surrounding autonomy is similar to that of other emerging technologies like generative AI, which may have significant impacts but will likely manifest in smaller, more practical applications initially.
• Media attention tends to focus on hype, but the most significant advancements often occur quietly, requiring deliberate effort to discover and understand.

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