Gartner Hype Cycle: AI-ready Data and Agentic AI Gaining Momentum

The new Gartner Hype Cycle for Artificial Intelligence is here. The message is clear: anyone looking to scale with AI in the future needs a solid foundation. At the forefront of the current wave are AI agents and AI-ready data.

GenAI Faces Reality: Disillusionment Takes Over

Just a year ago, generative AI (GenAI) was at the centre of attention. Now, however, the technology is slipping into the infamous ‘trough of disillusionment’. Why? Expectations were sky-high, but for many companies the real business value has been limited. The realisation is setting in: without solid technical and organisational foundations, GenAI remains little more than a gimmick.

The Three Essentials for Scalable AI

What really counts now are the basics. They form the foundation for any successful AI initiative:

• Responsible AI: Trustworthy, ethically sound systems
• Trust, risk and security management: securing sensitive data flows
• AI-ready data: Quality, structure and accessibility of data

Without these fundamentals, there’s no scalable deployment – and no reliable outcomes.
As Gartner points out:

‘Most organisations lack the data, analytics and software foundations to move individual AI projects to production at scale.’

This is exactly where XPLN comes in.

What Organisations Need at This Stage

Many companies are not looking for the next overhyped technology, but for a partner who offers:

• A clear AI strategy
• Relevant e-commerce use cases
• Realistically scoped pilot projects

That’s why we at XPLN are continuously developing our DSA-native platform. Our focus is on specialised, AI-driven workflows and Agentic AI designed to deliver tangible relief for manufacturers and retailers in e-commerce.

A key part of this is our interface strategy: by providing MCP (Master Control Platform) integration, we ensure that Agentic workflows can be seamlessly integrated into existing system landscapes – quickly, flexibly and future-proof.

GenAI Remains a Game Changer – When Used Correctly

According to a Gartner survey from early 2024, 40% of companies already use GenAI in more than three business areas – an increase of 19 percentage points within a few months.

In our opinion, GenAI continues to have the potential to be a real game changer in e-commerce:

• for content generation and discovery
• for automating human work
• to improve customer experiences

That's why we are continuously enriching our specialised e-commerce solution with Agentic AI to deliver scalable, reliable and fast results to our customers.

AI-ready Data: At the Peak of Expectations – and Essential

According to Gartner, AI-ready data has reached the peak of inflated expectations – and rightly so. Without high-quality, well-structured and accessible data, even the best AI model will fail to deliver.

This is exactly where we at XPLN step in: we transform fragmented data sets into machine-readable assets that produce tangible results.

However, technology alone is not enough. Cross-departmental collaboration is just as critical. Many AI initiatives fail due to data silos, inconsistent processes or poor change management.

Working closely with our partners in the e-commerce ecosystem, we support our clients end-to-end – helping them break down silos, harmonise processes and establish a unified data strategy across their organisation

Composite AI: More than just text generators

An exciting trend in the 2025 Hype Cycle is composite AI. This involves the intelligent combination of different AI technologies – machine learning, natural language processing, rule-based systems and knowledge graphs.

The result: assistance systems that go far beyond text generation. They link company-specific knowledge, make traceable decisions and thus increase operational benefits.

At XPLN, we integrate these approaches into our Agentic AI platform. Composite AI expands our specialised e-commerce solutions with logical reasoning, context-based knowledge and adaptive automation. This results in digital assistants that create practical added value.

Gartner predicted in its Digital Shelf Analytics Market Guide 2025, in which XPLN listed as the only DSA-native provider from Germany  was , that autonomous AI agents will revolutionise the DSA world.

XPLN is a pioneer in this field. Our multi-agent systems are already performing tasks in content management, price monitoring and competition monitoring – proactively, learning and rule-based.

AI Success Takes More than Building Models

The key takeaway from the Hype Cycle? Sustainable AI success doesn’t come from chasing short-term hype. What really matters are robust data strategies, combined AI methods and targeted applications that deliver real business impact.

At XPLN, we help you achieve exactly that – with specialised Agentic AI solutions for e-commerce that cut through complexity, boost efficiency and turn connected data into actionable insights.

Let’s Talk About Your AI Strategy

Curious how we can help solve your digital sales challenges? Let’s connect on LinkedIn – I’d love to continue the conversation.