The arrival of generative artificial intelligence technologies heralds a once-a-decade platform shift as big as the advent of the smartphone or the Web, many tech observers believe. Yes, but: The wave of investment and hype recalls similar recent surges around Web3 and the metaverse. Those projects are now faltering, and the jury is out on whether the new AI boom will pay off. What they're saying: " It seems clear to me that this is a new epoch in technology," Stratechery's Ben Thompson wrote Monday. Be smart: Tech platform shifts only take off when a big leap in the capacity of tools is matched by irresistible real-world applications and user excitement.