Thrive

How AI can positively impact so many aspects of our daily lives, from health and wellness to work, education, and home life.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a powerful general-purpose technology that is reshaping the modern economy, but misperceptions about AI stand in the way of harnessing it for the betterment of humanity. In Thrive, Ravi Bapna and Anindya Ghose counter the backlash by showcasing how AI is positively influencing the aspects of our daily lives that we care about most: our health and wellness, relationships, education, the workplace, and domestic life. In the process the authors help explain the underlying technology and give people the agency they need to shape the debate around how we should regulate AI to maximize its benefits and minimize its risks.

Bringing over two decades of experience with cutting-edge research, consulting, executive coaching, and advising to bear on the subject, Bapna and Ghose demystify the technology of AI itself. They offer a novel “House of AI” framework that encompasses traditional analytics, generative AI, and fair and ethical deployment of AI. Using examples from everyday life, they showcase how the modern AI-powered ecosystem fundamentally improves the emotional, physical, and material well-being of regular people across the globe. Thrive’s mission is to educate the public about AI, shape realistic expectations, and foster informed discussions about a fast-emerging AI-shaped society.Contents
Foreword ix 
1 EVERYONE IS WELCOME IN THE HOUSE OF AI 1
2 FINDING LOVE 23
3 FOSTERING HUMAN CONNECTIONS 43
4 AI, MHEALTH, AND THE QUANTIFIED SELF 63
5 LEARNING AND EDUCATION IN THE AGE OF AI 87
6 WORK, CAREER, AND FULFILLMENT 107
7 WELCOME TO THE AI-ENHANCED HOME 127
8 CLIMBING THE AI SUMMIT: HOW TO BUILD AI-SAVVY ORGANIZATIONS 141
CONCLUSION: MAKING AI WORK FOR YOU 155
Acknowledgements 161 Notes 165
Index 191“Thrive by Ravi Bapna and Anindya Ghose shows how AI can enhance our lives. The authors make complex concepts accessible, providing a roadmap for unprecedented improvements in health, work, and daily life. As we navigate the AI revolution, this book is a must-read for understanding and seizing the opportunities ahead. I highly recommend it.”
—Erik Brynjolfsson, Director, Stanford Digital Economy Lab; coauthor of The Second Machine Age

“An engaging and astute exploration of the potential of AI, calling out doomsayers and charting the immense promise of AI as a technology that brings shared prosperity and solutions for regular people. Highly recommend.”
—Scott Galloway, best-selling author of The Four

“With the groundbreaking developments in AI, we are all faced with fresh opportunities and challenges. The advent of new technological paradigms often leaves us both excited and anxious. Whether for individuals or leaders, this book fosters a deeper understanding and confidence in AI, empowering us to harness it for the betterment of humanity. It is a worthwhile read.”
—Eric Jing, Chairman and CEO of Ant Group

“Ghose and Bapna make the complex topic of AI understandable and intuitive. In the process, they make it clear why we have more reason to hope than fear about AI’s impact on our lives.”
—Avi Goldfarb, Professor, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto
Ravi Bapna founded the Analytics for Good Institute at the University of Minnesota and is the Inaugural INFORMS ISS Practical Impacts Award winner for his work in analytics and digital transformation.

Anindya Ghose is an award-winning professor of business at NYU Stern and a globally renowned expert in digital transformation and applications of AI in companies. He is also the author of the best-selling book TAP: Unlocking the Mobile Economy.