Original Title: Blockchain Innovation Will Put an AI-Powered Internet Back Into Users’ Hands
Author: Chris Dixon, Founding Partner at a16z Crypto
Compiled by: Heisman, ChainCatcher
Apocalyptic thinkers are wrong. Artificial intelligence will not destroy the world – but it will destroy the internet as we know it.
Artificial intelligence has disrupted the internet economic contracts that have existed since the advent of search: a few companies (mainly Google) create demand, while creators provide supply (and earn some advertising revenue or recognition from it). AI tools have generated and summarized content, eliminating the need for users to click into content provider sites, thus breaking the balance.
Meanwhile, a large number of AI-driven deepfakes and bots will make us question what is real and diminish people's trust in the online world. With the advent of the AI era, large tech companies with the capacity to handle massive amounts of data and computing power will continue to invest in artificial intelligence, and these companies, relying on monopolized resources, will become even more powerful, making the already closed-off portions of the internet even more secluded.
Technological progress is inevitable. I call attention to this not to shout that the sky is falling or to hinder progress. We need to help individual users gain some control over their digital lives. Thoughtful government regulation may help, but it often slows innovation. Trying a one-size-fits-all solution could create as many problems as it solves. And let’s face it, users will not give up their online lives.
Major technological movements often happen simultaneously – think of the rise of social media, cloud computing, and mobile computing in the 21st century. This time is no exception: artificial intelligence needs blockchain-supported computing.
Why? First, blockchain can enforce ownership. Blockchain can make credible commitments involving property, expenditure, and power. A decentralized computer network (not large companies or other centralized intermediaries) verifies transactions, ensuring that rules and records cannot be changed without mutual agreement. Smart contracts automate and enforce these ownerships, creating a system that ensures transparency, security, and trust, allowing users to fully control and own their digital lives. For creators, this means they can decide how others (including AI systems) may use their works.
Another fundamental ownership that blockchain can enforce is identity. If your identity is what you claim it to be, you can sign a cryptographic statement to prove it. We can carry our identities online without relying on third parties. On-chain identities can also help distinguish real users from bots and impersonators. In the 1990s, no one on the internet knew whether you were a dog or a bot. Now, people can know exactly whether you are a dog or a bot. By 2025, due to the latest advancements in these technologies, I expect to see more 'proof of humanity' on the internet.
In 2025, blockchain will be used to create tamper-proof records of original digital content, becoming a fortress against deepfakes. When creating videos, photos, or recordings, blockchain can provide and store a unique digital fingerprint. Any changes to the content would alter that signature, making tampering easily detectable. Blockchain can also store metadata and verification proofs from trusted sources, further ensuring the authenticity of content.
Finally, by 2025, blockchain will help realize the original ideals of the internet, promoting a more creative, open, and diverse web. Currently, users rely on a few internet giants – these giants have invested heavily in artificial intelligence (and are lobbying for regulations to prevent smaller competitors from entering). Once-open websites and applications have increased paywalls, restricted or shut down APIs, deleted archives, unpermissioned edits to past content, and added intrusive banners and ads.
In 2025, blockchain alternatives will offer more choices, open-source innovations, and options for community control. They will hold high the torch of an open internet. Cryptocurrencies will begin to wrest power from large tech companies and return it to users.