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What is subspace? This is a question I am often asked, and lately have been asking myself more and more. As the original author of the subspace white paper and the co-founder of the company building subspace, I feel uniquely qualified to answer this question. Subspace is a novel consensus protocol and technical architecture that allows for the establishment of a network of secure, scalable, decentralized, and energy-efficient blockchains. The vision of the subspace protocol has always been to create the foundation for the next generation of global digital infrastructure. But, to be clear, subspace is still just a technology. This technology is certainly noteworthy, as it solves all of the core technical challenges facing blockchains and it does actually pave the road for mass adoption of blockchain-based applications and services. However, the subspace protocol itself does not address the far more difficult question of why we need scalable blockchain infrastructure in the first place.
At the same time, despite over fifteen years of experimentation by a passionate global community, blockchains (regardless of whether or not they scale) remain an interesting technical solution that is still searching for a universal, compelling, real world problem to solve. As it stands, the most widely adopted use case of blockchain technology to date has been financial speculation, whether it be in the form of cryptocurrencies, decentralized finance (DeFi), or Web3. This hyper-focus on speculation and the numerous abuses that it has enabled, most recently demonstrated by the collapse of the FTX exchange, have tarnished the public perception of blockchain technology. For much of the world, blockchain is seen as either a way for fraudsters to pull off massive Ponzi schemes on an unsuspecting public, or a new kind of easy money that allows those who can spot the next best investment opportunity to get rich quick.
The core contributors to the subspace protocol have long-sought to build a project that could break out of this speculative trap, by creating an infrastructure layer that was able to support more meaningful and impactful use cases. Up to this point, we have attempted to bridge this gap by articulating the value of subspace in terms of its technical features alone. This has proven to be a mistake. In reality, the true value of subspace does not lie in the core technology, but in what that technology enables. Until now, what subspace actually unlocks has been elusive, even to those of us who have dedicated the last six years of our lives to building it.
But along our journey, the world has changed, and we would all do well to take notice. Regardless of how we feel about it, accelerating advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) are quickly transitioning humanity into the Age of AI. It is no longer a question of if AI will surpass human intelligence, but rather how soon it will happen and what, if anything, we may do to influence the ultimate outcome. Moreover, any industry, organization, or individual who chooses to ignore AI will soon find themselves irrelevant and largely beholden to those who have instead chosen to engage with it. Subspace is no exception. While the above facts are becoming increasingly clear to the rest of the world, where we are ultimately headed and the role of blockchain in this new age remain unclear.
I have chosen to engage with AI and have also sought to understand it in a systematic and holistic manner, in the same way that I approached blockchains when I began working on subspace six years ago. Given my unique perspective at the intersection of blockchain and AI, I have drawn my own conclusions regarding where we might be headed and what role blockchain may hold in helping humanity to arrive at a positive outcome. As described in greater detail below, I have become convinced that the core value proposition of blockchain technology lies in its unique ability to secure, constrain, and control AI; allowing blockchains to serve as a mediating force between humanity and ever more capable AI systems, such as Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI). In short, blockchains will help make AI safe for all humanity.
Given the critical role blockchains will play in the Age of AI, the ultimate use case for the subspace protocol is now much more clear. Our network will serve as the backbone of a global safety layer for AI. In order for us to be successful in this endeavor, we will need to make several changes to our project as we prepare for the imminent launch of our network. Perhaps the most significant change is that we have chosen a new name for the project. Recognizing that subspace is a technology, what we need is a name that captures the value provided by this technology in a clear and meaningful way. That name is Autonomys. From this day forward our project will be known as Autonomys, the first network for both humans and AI. The subspace protocol will remain a core component of the Autonomys technology stack, but we must recognize that subspace is not what we are, instead it is what will allow us to make an impact on the world.
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