A recent tweet from Chris Frantz, the founder of email platform Loops, stirred up some discussions as he claimed that “90% of people I know in web3 have pivoted their company to AI.” This statement highlights the problematic perspective of viewing artificial intelligence, blockchain, metaverse, cryptographic proofs, and other emerging technologies as unrelated and interchangeable components of the digital economy.
This limited understanding of the relationship between these technologies might stem from their origin and initial public perception. In particular, the birth of Bitcoin in 2008 laid the groundwork for what many envisioned as a strictly financial application of decentralized technology. As a result, the broader applications of blockchain and distributed ledger technology may have been overshadowed.
However, money is not the only form of valuable information that requires trustworthy coordination. Visionaries like Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin recognized that decentralized data architecture could tackle numerous challenges related to sharing valuable information in the digital age.
As we enter the era of artificial intelligence, the consequences of misunderstanding the intertwined relationship between technologies like blockchain and AI become increasingly risky. While it is incorrect to assume that “blockchain solves everything,” developing solutions for the rapidly advancing AI ecosystem requires an up-to-date, decentralized approach to governing the production, verification, and sharing of information.
Blockchain technology offers unique qualities to aid in addressing AI’s challenges. Immutable ledgers can help verify the provenance of content, protecting against deep fakes. They could also ensure the integrity of datasets used to train machine learning products. Additionally, cryptocurrencies have the potential to reward global contributions to AI education and development in a seamless, borderless manner.
Future success in delivering on these promising ideas depends on integrating diverse technologies—ranging from zero-knowledge proofs and homomorphic encryption to secure computing and decentralized credentials—and enacting intelligent legislation that safeguards privacy, penalizes misconduct, and promotes human-centric innovation.
In conclusion, it is crucial not to underestimate the potential of technologies like Web3, blockchain, and crypto in shaping our digital future. Disregarding their connections and dismissing them as irrelevant is a harmful misunderstanding of the challenges at hand. To support the responsible evolution of AI, we should move beyond the narrow perspective that has historically limited our view of these technologies and instead recognize their value as complementary and intertwined components of the emerging digital landscape.
Source: Coindesk
