Original title: Blockchain innovation will put an AI-powered internet back into users' hands
Original author: Zoltan Vardai
Original source: https://a16zcrypto.com/posts/article/blockchain-ai-internet/
Compiled by: Tom, Mars Finance
Blockchain innovation will return the AI-driven internet back to users' hands
The doomsayers are wrong. AI will not end the world—but it will indeed end the internet as we know it.
Since the birth of search, the internet has operated under a core economic covenant: a few companies (primarily Google) provide demand, while content creators provide supply (and receive a portion of advertising revenue or exposure). Now, AI tools have started generating and summarizing content, allowing users to access information without visiting content providers' websites, thus disrupting this balance.
At the same time, the massive deepfakes and bot accounts driven by AI will make us question what is real and undermine people's trust in the online world. The large tech companies that can afford the most data and computing power will continue to invest in AI, becoming increasingly powerful and further reducing the already limited open internet.
The progress of technology is unstoppable. I point out these phenomena not to shout apocalypse or hinder development, but to help ordinary users take control of their digital lives. Wise government regulation may be beneficial, but there is also the risk of slowing down innovation. Moreover, attempts to come up with a 'one-size-fits-all' solution often bring as many troubles as they solve. The reality is that users will not exit online life, so what can we do?
Historically, significant technological waves are often intertwined—think of the rise of social media, cloud computing, and mobile computing in the early 21st century. The same is true today: AI needs the computing power enabled by blockchain. Why? First, blockchain can guarantee ownership. Blockchain can make credible promises around property, revenue, and permissions. A decentralized group of computers (rather than a large company or any centralized entity) verifies transactions, ensuring that rules and records are immutable without consensus. Smart contracts can automate and enforce this ownership, providing transparency, security, and credibility, allowing users to have complete control and ownership of their digital lives. For content creators, this means they can decide how others (including AI systems) can use their work.
Another fundamental ownership right that blockchain can enforce is identity. If you are who you claim to be, you can sign a statement cryptographically to prove yourself. We can use the same identity across the internet without relying on third parties. On-chain identity can also help distinguish real users from bots or impostors. In the 1990s, no one knew if you were a dog online. Now, people can know whether you are a dog or a bot. With recent technological advancements, we will see more 'proof of humanity' emerging on the internet in the coming years.
Blockchain can also create tamper-proof digital content records to combat deepfakes. When a video, photo, or audio is created, the blockchain can store a unique digital fingerprint. Any changes to the content will alter this fingerprint, making it easy to detect tampering. Blockchain can also store metadata and verify claims from trustworthy sources, further ensuring the authenticity of the content.
Ultimately, blockchain is expected to help the internet return to its original ideals, maintaining creativity, openness, and diversity. At present, users rely on a few internet giants—who are heavily investing in AI and calling for regulatory measures to block smaller competitors. Many formerly open websites and applications have installed paywalls, restricted or closed APIs, deleted archives, edited past content without permission, and added numerous annoying banner ads and pop-ups. Blockchain-based alternatives will provide more choices, open-source innovation models, and community-controlled options, thus continuing the torch of the open internet. Cryptography can reclaim power from large tech companies and return it to users.
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This commentary article was originally published in the December 11, 2024, issue of Wired UK, in the '2025 World Outlook' column, based on ideas originally proposed by Chris Dixon in his work (Read Write Own: Building the Next Generation Internet).