Blockchain & AI: A Tale of Tech’s Good Cop and Bad Cop

I have been working in the blockchain space for nearly two years now & while this industry has gained a lot more acceptance than when I first started, many people still ask me, "Why do you continue to work in the blockchain industry when you can easily switch to AI, which is more exciting?"?

?This is a solid question: why do I choose to work in an industry deemed the "slower horse" when two industries look promising? And the quest to answer that question led me to pen this article.?

To most people, AI is a viable technology that millions can use daily- It is frictionless, easy & delivers value instantly. In comparison, Blockchain is slow, full of friction & frankly, very complicated. While this is correct, most people fail to see that the AI industry has been preparing for its spotlight moment for decades. The birth of AI took place in the 1950s- it has had 74 years to grow, mature & become ready for the masses. In contrast, the first Blockchain has only been around for 15 years. We are still in the early stages.

Secondly, I believe that the emergence of AI will only increase the need for Blockchain further. We are currently experiencing the excitement of AI. However, once the hype dies down and disillusionment sets in, we as a society will become aware of the potential problems of the AI-augmented world. In a world of unlimited co-creation of content, lack of attribution and trust can lead to issues in the future. I envision a future where Blockchain serves as the trust layer in an AI-integrated society. The best way to put it would be that AI will play the bad cop, and Blockchain will play the good cop.

For instance, in a world inundated with AI-generated content, there will be a desire to distinguish between human-generated content and AI-generated content. This is where blockchain will act as the source of truth. As LLMs evolve into the cornerstone of a knowledge economy, data will become the fuel that propels this economy forward. Presently, every thought piece or content we publish directly feeds these LLMs without any recognition or compensation to the original human creator. While this raises concerns among creators, more needs to be done for people to seek a solution. However, in the future, when individuals begin seeking human-created content as a novelty, blockchain will record each article and its author. Blockchain will act as a layer of trust and ensure human creators receive credit for their work. Let's take it a step further: authors will be able to charge the LLMs a small fee every time the LLM utilizes their content. A smart contract between the author and the blockchain will ensure that the author is automatically paid a small amount through cryptocurrency every time the LLM uses the content.

As we navigate the exciting yet complex landscape of AI, it's essential to recognize that Blockchain is not lagging behind despite its perceived slowness and complexity; it's merely unfolding its chapters. As AI continues to weave its narrative into the fabric of our digital society, Blockchain will emerge as the crucial framework for ensuring authenticity, trust, and fair attribution. This may be one of the reasons why some of the brightest minds in the world are simultaneously involved in both industries, Blockchain & AI. For example, Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAi, also has another startup, WorldCoin- an iris biometric cryptocurrency project aiming to become the world's largest digital identity and financial network. The symbiosis of AI and Blockchain is the key to unlocking a future where digital innovations are groundbreaking and grounded in trust.