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“Because something is happening here, but you don't know what it is, do you, Mister Jones?”
—Bob Dylan, Ballad of a Thin Man

This book is a wake-up call to all game changers, alerting them to the impending collision of the two largest foundational technologies for the coming decades:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Blockchain.

 
Both these technologies have enormous potential to confer positive changes in the commercial world as well as for society as a whole. AI, rightly engineered and deployed, has the potential to become humanity's best and most indefatigable servant, freeing up humans from wage slavery. Blockchain, responsibly governed and deployed, has the potential to truly democratize society in spirit and not just in name, by eliminating friction in the world's transactions and eliminating usurious middlemen, and by facilitating a more equitably distributed internet of value. The most efficient and effective ways for this to happen is through a partnership between these two powerful technologies, where blockchain delivers trusted and immutable information for AI, and AI delivers cognition and automation to business processes.

 None of this will happen automatically, since the law of social entropy is as inexorable as the law of physical entropy, leading to chaos by default. It is up to the game changers to understand, tame, engineer, and deploy these two technologies as an integrated whole for both commercial value and for social benefit.

 

--Just Some of What They Are Saying--

"Garimella and Fingar provide a snapshot in time of the emerging and interwined areas of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Blockchain. The wide range of applications investigated across industries, by itself, makes this a "must skim" book. Vint Cerf's Foreword nails it as well - don't fall for the hype, but don't ignore this stuff either, both are trying to solve really hard problems, and making some progress."
-Jim Spohrer, Director, IBM Cognitive Opentech Group

 

"At the least in this book, you will have had a pretty thorough visit to the zoo and gained some familiarity with the characteristics of the denizens to be found there."
-Vint Cerf, Co-Inventor of the Internet, Turing Award Winner, and VP, Chief Internet Evangelist, Google

 

"Game changers have an opportunity to be part of the flow or risk being tossed about in the maelstrom."
- Sanjit Singh Dang, Investment Director, Intel Capital

"By providing exemplary insights into a wide range of application areas and real-world applications, this book has tremendously inspired me to cross-pollinate these ideas. This book is an influencer of a true technology paradigm shift that informs, motivates, and stimulates its reader. It is a truly stellar effort and a must-read."

- Amit Varma, Vice President - Technology, Citigroup

"I started skimming but ended up reading it all! A great read for beginners and even leaders in each industry. Be a Day-1 company now and apply AI & Blockchain where they deliver value. Great examples and timely for a couple of key decisions our company is making now and to build solid business cases." - Marvin Nahmias, CIO/CTO and Chief Technology Innovation Officer, Grupo Lala

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Table of Contents

FOREWORD BY VINT CERF 1
PREFACE 3

1. THE PATH TO NOW 6
HOW NATURAL IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE? 6
THE BLOCKCHAIN PHENOMENON 16
FACTORS THAT DROVE ADOPTION OF AI 22
FACTORS THAT DROVE ADOPTION OF BLOCKCHAIN 24
THE POTENTIAL FOR SYNERGY 25
FIRST ONE, THEN THE OTHER 26

2. APPLICATIONS 28
SOME IMPORTANT CAVEATS AND DISCLAIMERS 28
INDUSTRIES, SECTORS, AND HORIZONTALS 28
Business & Robotic
Process Management (BPM & RPA) 29
Cybersecurity 31
Education 33
Energy 37
Finance 39
Forecasting 43
Government 45
Healthcare 49
Information Technology 52
Insurance 52
Internet of Things (IoT) 54
Legal 56
Manufacturing 57
Music and Entertainment 60
Retail 63
Pharmaceutical 64
Social Good 66
Supply Chain Management 69
Transportation 71
COMMON THEMES FOR SYNERGY 76

3. SO WHAT TO DO 78
CLIMBING THE LEARNING CURVE 85
BARRIERS TO ADOPTION 89
EVALUATING APPLICABILITY OF AI/ML 90
THE DISAPPEARING TECHNOLOGIES 92
EITHER BE A DAY 1 COMPANY OR DISAPPEAR! 92

ABOUT THE AUTHORS 95
 

Note: The main text is a compact 94 pages, making it accessible for game-changing  executives in a hurry.

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--More of What They are Saying--

I personally enjoyed Kiran’s and Peter’s book very much. It provides a comprehensive and sometime breathtaking look at the intersection of two of the most discussed technological advancements - AI and Blockchain. Time well-invested and with looking left and right to related technologies as well as manifold use-cases. It’s an energy pill to take further action. - Tom Linckens, EVP & CIO, Bertlesmann

 

Garimella and Fingar have produced a concise, taut work that resists the temptation to paint a rainbow-filled Jetsonian utopia. Rather, they canvass the likely-good along with the likely-bad possibilities of these technologies in a sober and compelling way. Their work goes well beyond geeks and technocrats as an audience—indeed, it is a curious synthesis and distillation that will inform business leaders as well as social leaders. It demystifies and clarifies what we can expect and what we can do. - Dr. Chris Stout, VP, Center for Global Health, University of Illinois

 

We live in the Age of Disruption. Every industry, function, and market is being disrupted by AI, Machine Learning, and Predictive Analytics. No one is immune. Garimella and Fingar provide Business Leaders with fresh insights on how to navigate these emerging technologies, so companies can focus on disrupting themselves—before they are disrupted. - Cate Gutowski, SVP of Global Sales & Service, Panasonic Avionics

 

This is the essential guide for CIOs and other business leaders.  This is not a technical tome; this is a well-organized, thoughtful, and most importantly, practical guide. The authors address the potential societal implications as well, in a calm and realistic manner, not fear-mongering as so many journalists are doing today.  I highly recommend AI+Blockchain for anyone interested in where our world is going and how to successfully ride the wave.
- Tom Murphy, Chief Information Officer, University of Pennsylvania

 

This book is a gentle reminder that there is nothing to unlearn, as the concept of AI, Machine Learning, and Blockchain existed since the very inception of computing and data processing. Despite the challenges, their confluence is a possibility. Their applications are limitless and disruptive. To the list of questions the authors pose, let me add, “If not now, when?” - Sreekumar Govindan, CIO, Illinois Emergency Management Agency

 

AI and blockchain are disrupting almost all industries. As Garimella and Fingar point out, it seems no one and nothing will be immune from this disruption. Their emphasis on the many opportunities for turning such disruption into a social good beyond just the more immediate commercial benefits is especially satisfying. - Michael Nall, CPA, CM&AA, CGMA; Founder, Alliance of Merger & Acquisition Advisors; Co-Founder, MidMarket Alliance

 

I agree with the importance of combining Data, AI, & Distributed Ledger Technology for creating transformational solutions and to avoid siloes.
- Philippe Denis, Chief Anticipation Officer, BNP Paribas

 

 This is a very valuable and highly readable book on two of the most important technologies of our times. Ignore at your own risk. - Mohan Bavirisetty, Ph.D., Chief Scientist, Modern Renaissance Corporation

 

This is an empowering guide for today’s big thinkers to build trans-formational businesses. - Jarrod Anderson, CEO, IoT Cybernetics, Inc.

 

The authors make an easily digestible case for seizing upon two of today's most impactful technologies. They offer a smorgasbord of use cases to chew on, but more importantly, project the implications of pairing these technologies in coming years.  Timely, strategic, and tactical, this is a "must read” book that will separate the game changers from the change gamers. - Dennis Hill, Ph.D., Executive Change Agent, Sagacity; Board Member, Exacta

 

This book gives readers an understanding of the building blocks, the trajectories, and the emerging synergies between AI and blockchain. It considers how, fueled by the growing availability of big data, they look set to transform industries. It equips those who might participate with a way to start engaging in this future. - Dr. Luke Deer, Research Affiliate, The University of Sydney

 

This book is an excellent articulation on the emergence of Blockchain and AI how they will change the way businesses are run. It is a must read to understand how these technologies will disrupt incumbent ecosystems.
- Anshul Srivastav, CIO, Union Insurance

 

Kiran and Peter have crafted a great book that separates the hype from the reality and doesn't get caught up in limiting ideas of a 4th Industrial Revolution. Just as important is their coverage of social and societal impacts way beyond just the technologies which also need deep consideration. I would heartily recommend this stimulating book. The imperative is to take action now before it is too late.  - Neil Pearce, Group CIO & Strategic Board Advisor

 

This book gives huge insights into AI and blockchain in simple terms understandable to non-technical people. This book is a must-read book for all students, employees, and corporate leaders as the world is going to witness huge changes in the coming years.
- Venkateswara Rao Patakota, Vice President & Cluster Head, HDFC Bank

 

A well-researched book outlining the current trends in Information technology and the era of Digital transformation and what to expect in the world of tomorrow. - Chandima Miyanadeniya, Head of Architecture – EMEA, Aon

 

It is intriguing to think about how AI can support complex trust models in blockchains. There are many use cases for each type of blockchain and trust model. The challenge of the future will be our ability to integrate multiple assets in multiple blockchains. - Mario Rodríguez Somohano, CEO, Bambusoft