Oftentimes in this cutthroat world, one emerging technology replaces another. Just think about your alarm clock, Rolodex, or camera. And as for fax machines and cassette players? No one’s shedding a tear over their demise. But sometimes different technologies can actually complement each other, rather than remove and replace.

Here we are in 2018, standing on the cusp of never-ending possibilities. We don’t know yet how far-reaching the implications of blockchain technology are, nor that of AI. And when these two powerhouse technologies collide, amazing things can happen (if not just a little creepy).

A Tailor-Made Travel Experience

If you like to get away from all things tech when you go on vacation, it may seem illogical that technology can help you to do just that. Australian blockchain company Chozun is building a travel ecosystem powered by data science and AI. The point? To personalize your travel experience and make your vacations more relaxing and enriching (or adrenaline-packed and unfulfilling, depending on your preferences).

So if you typically waste valuable tanning time debating where to go and what to do, Chozun can match you with the best places to visit according to your tastes. The technology behind it learns over time what you like and don’t like, saving you the hassle of lining up to see a monument that leaves you less than impressed.

And the blockchain component incentivizes travelers with a token-based loyalty rewards scheme, including peer-to-peer exchanges, compensation for leaving reviews, and flight and hotel upgrades.

Blockchain-Powered Chatbots

With most of us more interested in speaking to computers than to human beings these days, chatbots are on the up. But now they’re being powered by blockchain tech. And how does blockchain work with AI-powered chatbots? By ensuring the integrity of data, to start with.

Summarizebot is a startup company that developed a blockchain-powered chatbot for text and multimedia analysis. It’s basically the modern version of CliffsNotes, so you don’t have to read an entire text – just walk away with the highlights. Awesome news for time-pressed executives and idle students alike.

“SummarizeBot is an AI and blockchain-powered chatbot that analyzes a document, web link or multimedia file, extracts its main ideas, and puts them into a short summary,” explains CTO Alex M. “Using blockchain helps us to collect more accurate data for training, with blockchain protocols to validate data label quality, ensuring the most accurate datasets possible.”

Preventing Attacks Before They Happen

In what feels very Minority Report (for those of us who weren’t in diapers when it came out), AI combined with blockchain can prevent certain events from happening. At least, when it comes to cybersecurity.

Worldpay Vice President and Head of Global Cyber Defense & Security Strategy Peter Tran says, “AI and blockchain become a symbiotic combination for cybersecurity where the right hand will always know what the left hand is doing … it’s the checks and balances to provide monitoring, visibility, and early detection.”

Vaughan Emery, CEO of Atonomi, believes that blockchain tech and AI are fundamental in securing the Internet of Things. “The combination of immutable identity and blockchain-based reputation will help secure healthcare IoT. Especially when combined with machine learning and artificial intelligence that can identify aberrant device behavior, identity and reputation will provide the kind of real-time protection required to secure the Internet of Things.”

Another company getting serious about intelligent cybersecurity is HEROIC, which is combining blockchain technology and AI to fight current and future cyber attacks. “The combination of big data with artificial intelligence and the blockchain is a completely new paradigm for cyber protection,” reveals Chad Bennett, the company’s founder and CEO. 

From travel to data analysis, crime detection and cybersecurity, AI and blockchain seem to be a winning pair. But can they advance to a place where they can read our minds and stop real-world events from happening? A decade ago, people would have laughed in my face for asking that question. Today, I’m not so sure.