Original title: Blockchain Innovation Will Put an AI-Powered Internet Back Into Users’ Hands
Original author: Chris Dixon, Founding Partner of a16z Crypto
Original translation: Heilsman, ChainCatcher
The doomsayers are wrong. AI won’t end the world — but it will end the web as we know it.
AI has already upended the economic contract of the internet that has existed since the advent of search: a few companies (mostly Google) bring the demand, and creators bring the supply (and get some ad revenue or recognition for it). AI tools have tipped the balance by generating and summarizing content, eliminating the need for users to click through to content providers’ websites.
Meanwhile, a large amount of AI-driven deepfakes and bots will make us question what is real and decrease people's trust in the online world. With the advent of the AI era, large tech companies capable of processing massive amounts of data and computing power will continue to invest in artificial intelligence, becoming even more powerful by relying on monopolized resources, making the remaining parts of the already closed internet even more so.
Technological advancement 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. 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.
Major technological movements often advance in parallel—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 trustworthy commitments regarding property, expenditure, and power. A decentralized computer network (not big companies, nor other centralized intermediaries) verifies transactions, ensuring that rules and records cannot be altered without consensus. Smart contracts automate and enforce these ownerships, creating a system that ensures transparency, security, and trust, allowing users full control and ownership of their digital lives. For creators, this means they can decide how others (including AI systems) 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 own identity online 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 if 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 change to the content will alter that signature, making tampering easily detectable. Blockchain can also store metadata and verification proofs from trusted sources, further ensuring the authenticity of the content.
Finally, in 2025, blockchain will help realize the original ideals of the internet, fostering a more creative, open, and diverse web. Currently, users rely on a few internet giants—who have invested heavily in artificial intelligence (and are lobbying for regulations to block smaller competitors). Once open websites and applications have added paywalls, limited or shut down APIs, deleted archives, edited past content without permission, and added intrusive banners and ads.
In 2025, blockchain alternatives will provide more choices, open-source innovations, and community-controlled options. They will carry the torch of an open internet. Cryptocurrency will begin to take power away from large tech companies and return it to users.
