IEEE Silicon Valley Blockchain Group/Consortium

Overview:
A virtual event jointly hosted by IEEE SCV Blockchain Group, IEEE Blockchain Technical Community, IEEE SCV Computer Society Chapter, and FreeCodingSchool. This session brings together two focused talks that connect the architecture of AI in Blockchain/Web3 with practical career guidance for professionals entering this fast-growing space.
The first talk explores how intelligent systems are designed, evaluated, and governed in blockchain and fintech environments. The second highlights the skills, roles, and pathways needed to build a successful AI career in the blockchain ecosystem. Together, these talks provide a clear view of where the industry is headed—and how to prepare for it.

ZOOM Meeting Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89987956361

Reservations: Link to Register

First talk: Orchestrating AI in Web3 and Fintech: The Architecture, Evaluation, and Governance Needed to Build Intelligent Systems that Scale

As AI systems evolve from deterministic software to probabilistic, continually adapting intelligence, deploying them in production raises a unique challenge: how do you preserve “don’t trust, verify” in a world where the model is never exactly the same twice? In this environment, real-world success depends less on model size and more on the orchestration layer that makes AI reliable, safe, and compliant across trading, custody, risk, and customer experiences. This talk explores AI usage in Web3 and digital asset ecosystems, where trust, security, and regulation are first-class constraints. We’ll walk through the integration layers—data infrastructure (including on-chain and off-chain signals), retrieval systems, evaluation pipelines, safety envelopes, and governance mechanisms—that surround the model. Drawing from large-scale, zero-to-one AI initiatives at Amazon and the AI transformation experience at Coinbase, we’ll examine how intelligent systems behave in production, why traditional software patterns fail in high-stakes financial and blockchain environments, and what architectural and organizational frameworks are needed to support rapid iteration without compromising safety or trust. Attendees will learn how to design AI systems where evaluation is always-on, data lineage and provenance (including on-chain data flows) are first-class citizens, and safety is embedded directly into the architecture through policy engines, guardrails, and model-agnostic orchestration layers. We will also discuss practical strategies for building infrastructure that can adapt to rapid model evolution, enable secure experimentation on sensitive financial and blockchain workloads, and ensure that quality, grounding, and behavior remain stable over time, even as both models and fintech space evolves.

Speaker Bio: Raj Karan Gunukula is a seasoned technology leader with 14+ years of experience driving large-scale AI, machine learning, and data infrastructure programs across fintech and commerce. He currently serves as Group Technical Program Manager at Coinbase, where he leads AI adoption across the software development lifecycle. Previously at Amazon, Raj rose to Principal TPM, founding and leading a team of TPMs supporting engineers, scientists, and XFN teams to deliver flagship Generative AI and intelligent advisor solutions that scaled to millions of sellers worldwide. His career blends deep technical grounding from his B.Tech. in Electrical Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) with hands-on leadership in AI innovation, product scaling, and business transformation.

Second Talk: Building an AI Career in the Blockchain and Web3 Startup Ecosystem

AI is rapidly transforming the blockchain and Web3 ecosystem, from intelligent developer tools and security analytics to on-chain data processing, trading infrastructure, and autonomous agents. Yet for many students and professionals, the career path into this intersection of AI + decentralized technologies is still unclear.
This session provides a practical, experience-based roadmap for building a successful AI career within the blockchain and Web3 space. We will explore the skill sets that matter most (distributed systems, AI/ML foundations, smart contracts, data engineering, and agent-based architectures), common roles across research, infrastructure, platform, agentic integration and product, and how to position yourself for these opportunities. We will also discuss how to leverage open-source contributions, IEEE involvement, hackathons, community leadership, and emerging technologies to stand out in a competitive market. Whether you’re entering the field or looking to transition from traditional software roles, you’ll walk away with actionable guidance, learning paths, and a long-term strategy for growing your career at the convergence of AI and Web3.

Speaker Bio: Revanth Reddy Airre is a Staff Engineer at the Silicon Valley AI startup HippocraticAI, a thought leader, and a technology expert with a strong commitment to supporting the broader tech community. He holds a Master’s degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Previously, Revanth worked at the Comcast Silicon Valley Innovation Center, where he helped design and implement large-scale, fault-tolerant distributed systems. He contributed to scaling a major data platform from 1M to more than 70M users, addressing complex infrastructure, distributed-systems, and data-platform challenges. Before moving to the United States, he worked at the Paris-based code analysis startup CAST Software and later contributed to several Silicon Valley startups in both the blockchain and AI domains. He has a strong technical background and extensive experience building technology across startup environments.
As Chair of the IEEE Silicon Valley Blockchain Chapter and an IEEE Senior Member, Revanth leads initiatives in blockchain, cloud computing, and AI/ML, fostering community engagement and collaboration in emerging technologies. He also serves globally with the IEEE Blockchain Technical Community as the Global Student Clubs Coordinator, where he successfully onboarded more than 35 student clubs, strengthening academic partnerships and expanding IEEE’s worldwide blockchain education network.
Revanth served on the Program Committee for the International Conference on Blockchain Research and Applications, contributing to global blockchain research and standards. His expertise spans distributed systems, AI inference infrastructure, large language models, next-generation blockchain platforms, interoperability, scalability solutions, cloud computing, and integrating AI-driven agents to enhance security and efficiency.
He started FreeCodingSchool in 2020, a not-for-profit initiative providing accessible coding education through workshops, mentorship, and open learning resources. Additionally, he serves as a conference program committee member, speaker, technology awards judge, career guide, and leader across several non-profit organizations. Through these roles, Revanth actively contributes to the tech ecosystem by reviewing research work, judging technology awards, mentoring early-career technologists, and fostering innovation.

Jointly Hosted by: IEEE Silicon Valley Blockchain Group, IEEE Computer Society Santa Clara Chapter and Blockchain Technical Community
Zoom Meeting Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81938990931
Reservations: events.vtools.ieee.org/m/521039

Summary:
In 2025, the landscape of digital money is shifting rapidly as the GENIUS Act establishes a federal framework for payment stablecoins while U.S. CBDC efforts pause and other regions move ahead with their own digital currency projects. This event will provide a clear overview of how stablecoins, CBDCs, tokenized deposits, and new payment rails are evolving in the U.S. and globally, and what that means for technology and finance professionals. It will conclude with a session on how volunteering within the IEEE Blockchain Technical Community creates opportunities to build leadership, grow networks across industry and academia, and contribute to impactful work in the blockchain ecosystem.

Talk 1: From CBDC Freeze to Stablecoin Law: How the GENIUS Act Is Rewiring Digital Payments
Marc Lijour, Startup Founder; IEEE Canada Blockchain
Abstract: The United States has entered a new phase in the evolution of digital money. Shortly after taking office, President Trump issued an executive directive instructing federal agencies to halt work on a central bank digital currency, signaling a clear policy preference against a government-run digital dollar. In parallel, the House advanced the Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act to formally restrict the Federal Reserve from creating a consumer-facing CBDC. Into this shifting landscape came the GENIUS Act, a landmark piece of legislation establishing a comprehensive federal regulatory framework for payment stablecoins. The Act clearly defines which entities may issue payment stablecoins, sets explicit expectations around 100% reserve backing in high-quality liquid assets, and introduces governance, disclosure, and supervisory requirements designed to bring stability to a rapidly growing segment of the digital asset ecosystem.
This talk explores the consequences of this legislative pivot, comparing the United States’ stablecoin-first strategy to the CBDC paths pursued by Europe, China, and Latin America. It examines rising adoption of tokenized deposits within banks and financial institutions, providing clarity on how they differ from payment stablecoins and why they are increasingly attractive for institutional settlement and wholesale financial rails. The presentation also highlights emerging payment capabilities enabled by programmable, low-cost digital dollars, including near-instant cross-border settlements and machine-to-machine micropayments. The session ultimately provides a structured view of how regulatory actions, market adoption, and infrastructure innovation are converging to define the next era of digital payments.

Talk 2: Opportunities to Make an Impact in Blockchain Through IEEE Blockchain Technical Community
Speaker: Revanth Reddy Airre, Eng @ HippocraticAI, Chair @ IEEE Silicon Valley Blockchain Group
Abstract: Blockchain and digital assets are moving quickly from experimentation to real-world use, and the IEEE Blockchain Technical Community offers a place for students and professionals to be part of this transition. Through chapter activities, technical talks, and student programs, volunteers can contribute to research conversations, practical implementations, and education while staying close to the latest developments in blockchain and Web3.
This talk shares a practitioner’s experience being involved in IEEE, from taking on leadership roles in the IEEE Silicon Valley Blockchain Group to coordinating blockchain initiatives with student clubs at top universities globally. It will describe how involving IEEE standards, organizing events, supporting student activities, and collaborating with other IEEE groups creates chances to learn, connect, and contribute. The session will highlight how volunteering steps can help build leadership skills, expand one’s network across industry and academia, and provide value back to society through knowledge sharing. The goal is to show how IEEE volunteering can be a practical and rewarding way to grow in the STEM field while helping the broader community.