A Breakthrough Introduction to The Next Phase of the Digital Age
In Trivergence, Bob Tapscott, writer, speaker, complex system designer, and former CIO introduces an exciting new concept in explaining how the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and the Internet of Things (IoT) will transform business and society. He explains the synergies between these technologies and the disruptive potential that they will offer, as well as the challenges and risks to making it happen. He offers an insightful guide through the difficult decisions that businesses and society must make to thrive in a new era where decisions will be difficult, and uncertainties abound.
You'll discover how and why AI's power is now exploding, its growth driven by smarter approaches to neural networks trained on a new hardware architecture that can derive its intelligence from ever more massive datasets. You'll also find:
- Discussions of the multiplicative and exponential power of trivergence on the core technologies discussed in the book
- Explorations of IoT's tendency to bring the physical world to life as it harnesses the capabilities of AI and the blockchain
- How trivergence morphs Big Data into something new he calls “Infinite Data”, where thinking machines consider trillions of data points to generate their own content, value, and perspectives without programmed code or human intervention
A fresh and innovative guide, rich with case stories, on how the most critical technologies of this new phase in the digital age are combining to drive business transformation, Trivergence will become a critical handbook for forward-looking leaders, and anyone interested in the intersection of cutting-edge tech and business.
Table of Contents
Foreword vii
1 Introduction to the Era of Trivergence 1
Welcome to the Trivergence 4
A Glimpse of the Chapters Ahead 7
The Trivergence Technologies 7
Key Enablers of the Era of Trivergence 9
Applications and Implications 11
2 Artificial Intelligence 17
The Evolution of AI 19
When Will AI Surpass Human-Level Intelligence? 23
How Will AI Transform Society? 28
Artificially Intelligent Government 29
AI-Powered Transportation 31
AI-Enabled Entertainment and the Arts 33
3 Animating the Physical World 37
A Global Network for Planetary Monitoring and Conservation 39
Tackling Deforestation with the IoT 41
The IoT and Final Frontier of Ocean Exploration 43
The IoT Meets the Urban Environment 45
The Robotic Future: From Industrial Automation to Robot Swarms 49
Managing the IoT 55
4 Blockchain 61
How Blockchain Is Powering Transparent Global Supply Chains 64
Blockchain for Public Good 68
Putting Land Registries on the Blockchain 68
Estonia’s Blockchain Revolution 69
Solving Global Challenges 72
The Rise of Web3 73
Decentralization 74
User Control and Ownership 75
Censorship Resistance 76
Interoperability 78
New Economic Models 79
NFTs for Christmas 81
The Future of Blockchains 82
5 Walking on a Cloud 87
The Cloud Was Inevitable 90
The Cloud’s Big Three 95
Cloud Growth Is Explosive 98
The Cloud, the Future of Computing, and the Trivergence 100
6 Big Data to Infinite Data 105
The Explosion of New Data: The Food for AI 108
Building the Infrastructure for Infinite Data 110
Science’s Infinite Data Revolution 113
Mapping the Universe 114
The Rise of Big Genomics 116
Preparing for Infinite Data 117
Infinite Data and the Era of Self-Sovereign Identities 119
Breaking Free of Our Digital Landlords 121
7 The Trivergence in Action 125
Trivergence and the Future of Healthcare 126
Trivergence and the Future of Agriculture 132
Trivergent Food: From the Field to the Supermarket Shelf 133
Rise of the Digital Farm: Accelerating Innovation in the Global Food System 137
Trivergence and the Future of Transportation 139
Get Ready for Trivergence-Driven Disruption 143
8 Challenges of the Era of Trivergence 149
Technological Challenges 150
Data Integrity 150
The Trivergence Trilemma 153
Interoperability 159
Software Limitations and Risks 161
Social Challenges 166
Speculation and Hype 166
Privacy 169
Governance 171
Access and Inclusivity 173
9 The Executive Guide to the Era of Trivergence 177
Evaluating Organizational Readiness 178
Identify Business Objectives and Opportunities 178
Review Existing Infrastructure 179
Assess the Digital Skills and Attitudes of Your Workforce 181
Deliberating Key Considerations 182
Identify Risks and Trade- Offs 182
Assess Costs and Resource Requirements 183
Evaluate Potential Benefits 183
Weigh the Risks Against the Benefits 185
Crafting a Trivergence-Focused Business Strategy 187
Step 1: Define Phases and Milestones 187
Step 2: Allocate Resources and Establish Timelines 188
Step 3: Monitor Key Performance Indicators 189
Step 4: Implement and Evaluate 189
Step 5: Iterate, Optimize, Repeat 190
Exploring Opportunities for Collaboration 191
Attend Conferences and Events 192
Join Industry Consortia or Associations 193
Participate in Open Innovation Initiatives 194
Fostering a Culture of Innovation 195
Tune Your Change Management Strategy 196
Provide Learning and Development Opportunities 196
Re-evaluate Incentive Structures 197
Leading in the Era of Trivergence 199
10 Trivergence and Our Digital Future 201
The Perils of the Trivergence 204
The Weaponization of Trivergence 205
Jobs and Prosperity 207
What Happens to Infinite Data? 212
Trivergence and Bias 215
Undermining Our Concepts of Truth and Reality 217
The Trivergence and People 220
Trivergence and You 222
Acknowledgments 227
About the Author 229
Index 231
