How to Make AI Useful
Moving Beyond the Hype to Real Progress in Business, Society and Life
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AI has been hyped as everything from world-saving to world-ending. But beneath the noise lies a more urgent question: is AI actually useful? And if so, useful for what, and for whom?
For several years now, AI has dominated headlines, boardrooms, and everyday conversations, with much of the focus on risks—job losses, industry disruption, ethical concerns. What’s been missing is a deeper look at how to make AI genuinely practical and beneficial. That’s the challenge Dr. Bryan Reimer and Magnus Lindkvist take on in their new book, How to Make AI Useful: Moving Beyond the Hype to Real Progress in Business, Society and Life. They cut through speculation to explore how AI can move from promise to progress, shaping tools that matter long after today’s bubble bursts.
Dr. Bryan Reimer comments: “This book is about moving past the hype and fear of AI to focus on what really matters—making AI a tool that amplifies human capability, just as electricity, the PC, and the smartphone did. Magnus and I wanted to cut through the noise and show business leaders, policymakers and individuals everywhere that AI can positively reshape how we work, create and live. AI’s story isn’t about replacing us. It’s about making us better.”
Magnus Lindkvist adds: “While philosophical doom-mongering about AI is interesting, it’s not particularly useful for leaders who want to make a difference. Neither are hands-on “AI for Dummies”-style manuals. Our book fills a gap in our collective understanding of what this technology can do long-term.”
Blending decades of research, trendspotting and hands-on experience, the authors chart AI’s evolution from dazzling gimmick to disruptive force—and now to indispensable tool.
How to Make AI Useful challenges us to rethink AI not as a threat, but as a tool for building smarter businesses, more efficient contributors and stronger societies.
Reviews
-Joseph Coughlin, Director, MIT AgeLab“AI’s true revolution isn’t in its algorithms, but in how we apply them. Reimer and Lindkvist illuminate the path from technological wow to practical progress—making this essential reading for anyone seeking to transform tomorrow’s promise into today’s reality.”
-Junko Yoshida, Editor-in-Chief, Junko's Tech Probe, former Global Editor-in-Chief at EE TimesThis is a delightful book on AI whose primary purpose is neither 'selling' nor 'denouncing' AI. By using an abundance of real-world examples, both historical and personal, the authors explore the space where we humans meet AI. While this is about AI, the book is about us, as we often find the promise of AI both thrilling and unsettling. This is a practical guide to how industries, societies, and consumers can choose to use AI, instead of being mesmerized or intimidated by AI's technological advances.
-Will Knight, Senior Writer, WiredHow to Make AI Useful offers an engaging look at how artificial intelligence may change the way we live and work. Reimer's seminal work on human-machine teamwork, especially in self-driving cars, seems to offer profound lessons for how to work alongside increasingly powerful AI systems most effectively. With Lindkvist's blending of real-world examples to challenge how we think about the future, the book offers a refreshingly clear picture of where AI is taking us, and how we should adapt.
-Rana El Kaliouby, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Blue Tulip Ventures; Co-Founder and CEO, AffectivaAt its core is a quietly provocative question: 'Will we let AI change us?'—a challenge that is as underappreciated as it is urgent. In a time when we must focus on humanizing technology before it dehumanizes us, this book offers a thoughtful, grounded, and timely guide for navigating what comes next.
-Kevin Clark, Chair and CEO, AptivIn an era where automation and intelligence are fundamentally reshaping how businesses operate and compete, success hinges on a deeper understanding where AI creates real value and the discipline to apply it at scale within complex systems. This book offers a grounded perspective on how AI can transform decision-making, accelerate insights, and empower leaders to build resilient, adaptable organizations that can lead in a world where AI, business, and people are evolving together.
About the Author
With decades of experience in human-centered technology, Bryan Reimer is shaping the future of mobility and AI. Founder of leading research consortiums, trusted advisor to businesses and governments, and co-author of *How to Make AI Useful*, he's an innovator who ensures technology advances human safety and serves society.
Magnus Lindkvist is a Swedish futurologist and trendspotter known for blending insights from business, science and the arts to challenge how we think about the future. A sought-after global speaker and author of multiple books, he brings a fox’s curiosity to a world of hedgehog predictions.
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