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. They frame this journey in three distinctive stages:
- Wow! Phase - AI’s role as a doer, assistant and creator.
- Whoa! Phase - realisation of the challenges, limitations, and the messy phase of making AI work at scale.
- Grow! Phase - maturation phase, where AI is refined, integrated, and delivers real progress for everyone (if we let it).
Dr. Joseph Coughlin, Founder and Director of the MIT AgeLab and author of The Longevity Economy, said of the book: “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.”
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.
About the authors
Bryan Reimer, PhD, is a Research Scientist at the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics (MIT CTL) and a global expert on the intersection of AI, technology, human behaviour, mobility and public policy. With over 300 publications and advisory roles spanning government and industry, he’s spent over two decades at the intersection of complex technology and human-centred solutions.
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.
Notes to editor:
- How to Make AI Useful is published on 23rd October 2025 (UK) and 25th November 2025 (USA) by LID Publishing, available as paperback and e-book
- For all media requests, please contact Teya Ucherdzhieva (E: teya.ucherdzhieva@lidbusinessmedia.com; M: +44 (0) 7928 666 131) or Mackenzie Berry (E: berrym@mit.edu; M: +1 617-258-6083)
- For more information about Dr. Bryan Reimer, please visit his website or LinkedIn
- For more information about Magnus Lindkvist, please visit his website
- For more information about LID Publishing, please visit www.lidpublishing.com