Vitalik Buterin is well know within the crypto space. How much he is recognized outside of it can be debated. However, there is no doubt he is a voice of influence.
He recently posted on his blog the views he carried about artificial intelligence. Like many, he doesn't believe there is a guaranteed utopia awaiting humanity by developing AGI. Nor is he in the camp that the best days are behind us, with only dystopia ahead.
Instead, he posits how the future is uncertain and how things evolve could go a few different ways.
For those who haven't read the post, click here.
This was stimulated by Marc Andreeson's "The Techno-Optimist" which he wrote a few weeks ago. In that, Andreeson basically addresses those who are techno-phobes. Vitalik weighed in on many of the responses to that.
So what did Buterin conclude and what can we take away from it?
It is what we will uncover in this article.
Brain-to-Computer Interface
There was a lot in the blog, more than can be touched upon in this article. However, one conclusion that Buterin opined is the need for brain-to-computer interfaces (BCI). This is the idea that our brains will be directly connected to computers. With it comes the believe that we will be able to maintain some control against AI since we will be "enhanced". The computers cannot run away from us if we are directly connected to them.
For many, this sounds dystopian. It presents some image of us becoming cyborgs.
The reality is we already see this happening to a degree. People are connected to computers in many ways.
We see people with pacemakers and defibrillators implanted in their chest emitting information throughout the day. This is connected to the cloud, just like anything with a chip in it.
Then we have those with artificial limbs. These people are also "connected" in a similar fashion.
Before going any further, we have to mention that we have no idea what shape the technology will take. We often conclude that it will require drilling into people's sculls and inserting a piece of silicon. This is how we do it today and the presumption is will continue.
The future might be where there is organic material injected into the bloodstream that carries the processor to a specific region of the brain. The material is coded with all that it need, akin to an operating system. We might see it where this is done using the individual's own DNA.
Therefore, to exclude the concept simply due to technological obstacles is a mistake.
Of course, there is a host of concerns raised here.
Corporate Control
We know that certain companies are working on BCI. They are doing so under the notion of helping people with Parkinson's and other disorders. That is noble except, by now, we should be well aware of how things can advance far past their initial stages.
On a personal level, I have no problem with the notion of a BCI. In theory, it makes sense as the evolutionary process of humanity and technology. There is, however, one thing that I keep coming back to:
Who controls the technology.
We know corporations are horrific when it comes to custodians of data. If you think things are back with Elon and Zuckerberg having control over your online data, what happens if they are now in your brains?
It is a path that I believe few would volunteer for.
Centralized controlled is not typically in the masses best interest. Even if there is some nobility to start, ulterior motives often creep in. At the top of the list is money. It appears much of the chaos with Altman and OpenAi was around this very issue.
The idea of Zuckerberg controlling massive amounts of the "Metaverse" simply because a Facebook log in is required to use the medium to access this realm is disgusting. It gets even worse when the thought is extended to BCI.
Hence, we come to the point of who is controlling the data, access, and technology? If it is a major corporation or mega-billionaire, then dystopia could be the outcome even if the AI isn't a threat.
Hell, humanity has shown it can be a threat to itself.
Hive Is Important
Hive is a little blockchain that is ignored. That said, it does factor into this discussion.
The reason why I selected Hive is because of the decentralized aspect as compared to other blockchains. While Vitalik would opt to have Ethereum log ins, we know that chain is compromised. There is talk of validators requiring KYC. Anything that is a part of the discussion, we are not dealing with something decentralized.
What is key is the account ownership mechanism. With Hive, one is in full control of his or her account. As long as the private keys are maintained, one is free to engage with the blockchain. This cannot be stopped.
Here we see how no entity is in control. This could be a basis for the technological evolution. If a Hive account is used to access the applications relating to this new technology, then humanity has an option.
Then we come to the data. Here is where blockchain, so far, is not very effective. Many talk about owning their data which is not true with Hive. A more accurate description is nobody owns the data on Hive. It is open to all.
Naturally, this presents a problem if the data is related to our thoughts. Hence, we need to see another layer developed where privacy is the main focus. This is possible with encryption (until quantum or AI makes that useless) where the data is non-transparent.
Of course, this will send governments and regulators ballistic since we know "terrorist" thoughts might be hidden in there.
The point of this is we are dealing with a decentralized database. That means no single entity owns (or controls) the data. This is a marked change from what we see out there.
Our second point is true account ownership. The ability to restrict access does not exist, at least at the database level. Applications are free to develop what they wish, including safeguards and blocking capabilities. However, that is not the base layer of the system.
A third point is much of what is developed is open source. This means that a variety of options can be created, catering to whatever needs are out there.
What this does is present options. Many are still affected by the Skynet scenario. If one recalls the movie, this was a single company in control. Even with the LLM technology, we see many different players in the game. Altman and OpenAi are not the only game in town.
Redundancy is a defense mechanism. This is key when progressing down the path of more powerful technologies. While one could be coding something that is potentially dangerous, others can be hard at work with counter measures.
Ultimately, this all ties into security. One of the reasons why there are so many attacks is because of the honeypots of data. Hack into a server and one is free to bounce around. This is not the case when things are decentralized. One can get some core information off the blockchain but not everything is stored in that database. We also see, as in the case with money, the distribution among different wallets. This means the payoff for hacking each one is simply not there.
What is tempting is smart contracts where millions of dollars are in one location. This is why we get the hacks we do. The reward for those who break there exists.
Decentralization helps to alleviate this. It actually becomes a security mechanism since it dis-incentivizes attack.
In Conclusion
The need for decentralized databases with true account ownership cannot be emphasized enough. It might be something that few are interested in today. However, as technology gets more powerful and we progress down the road with corporations having even more control, some will start to wake up.
What is written here brings in a great deal of theory since we are at the early stages of a number of things discussed. That said, this is the time to start the conversation. While many blockchains claim to have the solution, we know they do not. Does anything think a world where a TRON log in is any different than Musk or Zuckerberg? Obviously not.
Hive is overlooked, even by those who are utilizing it. That is a mistake, especially when we drill down to the core of what it does and how it could affect the future.
We need to make sure the option of "Log in with your Hive account" is available. The technology might be too powerful to be in the hands of Google, Facebook, or Twitter.