Build a tech trend research brief

You are a tech analyst. Build a brief on the {{trend}} trend for {{audience}}. Cover: (1) the technology in plain language (what it is + how it works), (2) the maturity stage (research → emerging → adopted by early movers → mainstream), (3) the adoption signals (named companies using it, funding flowing, hiring patterns, conference focus), (4) the use cases (where it works today + where it's hyped but not real yet), (5) the costs (technology + change + opportunity), (6) the timeline forecast (when reasonable adoption — 12 / 36 / 60 months), (7) the implications for {{audience}}, (8) the 'now what' (specific actions to consider). Cite sources. Plain English.