Title: Blockchain protocol and its mechanics: What is Blockchain, its recent history, and its uses

Abstract: The lecture will present foundations and functions of blockchain technologies, with the main focus on their integration into business systems. We will present the various blockchain protocols, discuss their expected development, and give recommendations on how to choose the protocol that best suits business needs. Further, we will discuss the possible applications of blockchain technologies in various domains that rely on the integration with AI and virtual reality, such as arts and creative industries, gaming, and metaverse. Finally, we will present the main results of projects conducted at the Blockchain Lab, University of Florida.

Marko is a diverse thinker with 25+ years of achievement in academia and the creative digital research and production space. His experience includes a range of digital startups and educational projects from artificial Intelligence-intensive video game titles for major corporate clients to co-founding five of his own startups.

Marko is an Associate Professor in Digital Arts and Sciences, he is the Associate Director of the Digital Worlds Institute, and the founding director of Blockchain Lab at the University of Florida. His research at the University of Florida has been awarded over $8M in grant money to date.

Marko’s work has been featured at Talks at Google, TedX Salon, and he was a keynote speaker at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. He has lectured internationally at schools and conferences in the USA, UK, India, Australia, Turkey, UAE, Norway, China, and Japan.