Original title: Blockchain Innovation Will Put an AI-Powered Internet Back Into Users’ Hands
Author: Chris Dixon, founding partner of a16z Crypto
Compiled by: Heiseman, ChainCatcher
Doomsayers 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 economy contracts that have existed since the advent of search: a few companies (primarily 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 websites, thus disrupting the balance.
Meanwhile, a large amount 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 capable of handling vast amounts of data and computational power will continue to invest in artificial intelligence, becoming stronger as they monopolize resources, making the already closed remnants of the internet even more so.
Technological progress is inevitable. I call attention to this not to cry 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 down innovation. Attempting a one-size-fits-all solution may create as many problems as it solves. And let's face it, users will not give up their online lives.
Significant technological movements often progress in tandem—think of the rise of social media, cloud computing, and mobile computing in the 21st century. This time is no exception: artificial intelligence requires blockchain-supported computing.
Why? First, blockchain can enforce ownership. Blockchain can make credible commitments regarding property, expenditure, and power. A decentralized computer network (not big companies or other centralized intermediaries) verifies transactions, ensuring that rules and records cannot be changed without consensus. Smart contracts automate and enforce these ownerships, creating a system that ensures transparency, security, and trust, allowing users complete control and ownership of their digital lives. For creators, this means they can decide how others (including AI systems) can use their work.
Another fundamental ownership that can be enforced by blockchain is identity. If your identity is as you claim, you can sign a cryptographic statement to prove it. We can carry our identities on the network without relying on third parties. On-chain identity can also help distinguish real users from bots and impersonators. In the 1990s, nobody on the internet knew if 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 advances in these technologies, I expect to see more 'proof of humanity' on the internet.
By 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 will alter that signature, making tampering easy to detect. Blockchain can also store metadata and verification proofs from trusted sources, further ensuring the authenticity of the 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 handful of internet giants—these giants have invested heavily in AI (and have lobbied for regulations to prevent smaller competitors from entering). Once-open websites and applications have increased paywalls, restricted or shut down APIs, deleted archives, edited past content without permission, and added intrusive banners and ads.
By 2025, blockchain alternatives will offer more choices, open-source innovation, and community-controlled options. They will raise the torch of the open internet. Cryptocurrencies will start to take power away from large tech companies and return it to users.