Analysis: What Blockchain Technology Means for Artificial Intelligence

Just as blockchain technology is being aligned with the Internet of Things (IoT), it is also increasingly being mentioned by those involved in advancing artificial intelligence (AI). Indeed, some - including legacy institutions like IBM and SAP - see a future involving the convergence of all of these technologies. Unlike blockchain technology and IoT, AI - which, in one sense, is about creating computer applications that act as smart as humans - is not a new concept. Research began in academia in the 1950s, and the subject was popularized in the 1968 science fiction movie "2001: A Space Odyssey," featuring the humanlike HAL 9000 computer. Usable computing systems running AI programs emerged in the 1980s, in the form of expert systems that were able to apply pre-programmed knowledge and make rules-based business decisions.