Relationship experts say that the honeymoon period lasts about two years. After that, the newlywed sheen wears off, and what’s left is navigating the real work of building a future together. The same is now being said about GenAI.

Almost like clockwork, 30 months after ChatGPT broke into the mainstream, GenAI’s honeymoon with the media seems to be over. Headlines now hint at disappointment, with the tech supposedly sliding into the “trough of disillusionment.” The media reports that business leaders are questioning ROI, investors are anxious for profits, and a growing number of pundits suggest the technology may have peaked — all before it even got started.

At the same time, the same media that once portrayed OpenAI CEO Sam Altman as a generational visionary now finds him a divisive figure. His $6.4 billion acquisition of Jony Ive’s design firm is being dismissed as too much Steve Jobs-ish and not enough smart strategy.