A.I. of the People, by the People, for the People
- Why AI is fundamentally different than any other technology and why no single company should control it
- How we can solve the problem of trust without the use of 3rd parties like Google, Amazon, Facebook, Baidu, or Tencent
- How blockchain can help solve issues of ownership
- How we can build AI on top of blockchain to make an inherently fair economy
By 2029, Your Digital Services will smarter than Jarvis
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is fundamentally different than any other technology we have ever created because it has the ability to learn and improve its own functions. It isn’t always correct and it often compounds biases but these powerful technologies connect and reveal patterns that we’ve never seen before. AI technologies will be able to connect to vast datastores, for types of data that doesn’t even exist today, to alert us to opportunities and dangers alike, and often to act on these automatically.
We cannot foresee just how big the impact of these systems are and that’s both a concern and an aspiration. Technology does not improve arithmetically; it improves exponentially. Similarly, it can undermine society just as exponentially.
“By 2029, computers will have human-level intelligence.” Google’s own futurist, Ray Kurzweil,
This is why Vladimir Putin is quoted as saying, that the ‘future belongs to artificial intelligence’ and whoever masters this technology first will be ‘ruler of the world.” With a ruler like Putin racing to master AI, it is of the utmost importance that we have a democratic, transparent, and accountable AI. What would an AI like that look like?
The Door to AI
When you need an answer, what do you do? If you’re like most people, you probably Google it. If you need a product, you order it online — usually from Amazon (if you’re in the USA). For the vast majority of the USA (and many people elsewhere), Google and Amazon have quickly become the ‘door’ to the internet.
In the future, each of us will have our own AI-powered bot or virtual assistant that will seamlessly do specific tasks for us. For example, if we want to get a haircut, we will ask our virtual assistant to schedule one, and it will automatically negotiate times and prices, using other bots and services.
Google, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Baidu, Tencent and a few others are all using AI to position themselves to become your “door” to services of all kinds. Google Assistant can already make that hair appointment.
Take a look:
For sure, these companies offer valuable services. They act as the authentication agent between people who want to give and receive value. For example, when you buy a product on Amazon, Amazon makes sure that you have the funds to purchase the product and that the seller has the product in inventory. Additionally, they collect payment, ensure the item was shipped, and even share reviews and other data so that both buyers and sellers can transact with trust. They even offer reparations if the item is faulty or never gets there. At the end of the day, one of the biggest functions fulfilled by these 3rd parties is to make transactions on the Internet trustworthy. It’s probably safe to assume that these companies’ AI-based services will be equally trustworthy.
The Problem with 3rd Parties
We have already begun seeing the issues with 3rd parties. As 3rd parties collets massive amounts of data, they become targets for hackers. Just last year, Equifax, the company responsible for safeguarding your credit information was hacked and lost data on 143 Million individuals and this is the tip of the iceberg. When Ebay was hacked, hackers took data on 145 Million people, Adult Friend Finder was taken for 412 Million people and the Yahoo hack stole data on 3 Billion people.
Hacking isn’t the only issue. The bigger issue is how the data is then used against individuals. On a very basic level, hackers can steal your identity, create credit accounts in your name and even bankrupt you. On a more sophisticated level, companies like Cambridge Analytica can use your data to manipulate you in order to accomplish their own goals. The second type of hack is so dangerous that it has done the unthinkable, it shook our democratic system.
As these technologies progress and become even more sophisticated the data insights will become even more powerful. Companies will know our personalities, our motivations, and our deepest secrets and will be able to talk to us in precisely the same way we talk to ourselves. They will be able to motivate and convince us to do things. A hack that involves this type of sensitive data will be even more powerful in the wrong hands and unfortunately there is no single person, group or organization that can be a trusted safeguard. Personal data needs to be treated as a basic building block to any consumer facing technology. As such, it needs to be owned by the individual and the individual should have the option of who to share it with, and under what circumstances.
Last but not least, it is never a good idea to give a small number of individuals absolute power. If super powerful AI, with access to all of the data, is owned by a few corporation this spells major risks for you and I. First, no one will really be able to compete with them the same way no one can realistically compete with Google or Amazon. Second, a few such organization will naturally influence people and governments for their own benefit which will come at a social cost. Lastly, many of our values such as freedom, competition, transparency, democracy, etc will be greatly diminished. In the end, you never really know how far people will take such power, and as the saying goes, “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely’.
“Power corrupts, Absolute Power Absolutely” Lord Acton
What would an AI without 3rd parties look like?
Solving for Trust: Enter Blockchain
One of the biggest revolutions of the past 20 years is blockchain technology. Blockchain acts as an open, anonymous ledger that automatically authenticates transactions. Blockchain can be used to solve the issues of trust, authentication, and ownership simultaneously. For example, cryptocurrencies like Ethereum make the currency programmable, allowing an even greater control over how value is exchanged by allowing people to make rules around how they give and receive value. Best of all, these systems are decentralized so there is no single entity owning the technology.
Discover Latest Jobs in AI, ML, Big Data & Computer Vision:
Blockchain and AI
Currently, Seed Vault is working on a solution that would solve all three problems for the AI space: trust, authentication and ownership.
SEED is a platform where AI, bots, and the people that build and use them come together. Bot builders, companies, and developers can join SEED, create a bot, launch it, and share it. The SEED Token platform will keep track of all of the value the bot gives and receives from people and other bots. For example, when a developer creates a healthcare bot to offer advice to people with allergies, every time that bot is used and generates revenue, the proceeds will be sent to those who helped build that bot, using the SEED Token. The SEED network is built from the ground up to authenticate bots and the people that interact with it. Trust and fairness are built into the system.
Fairness & Control for Users
The good news for users is that they will have control over their data and their privacy. On the SEED platform, anytime you interact with a SEED-based bot for services, you’ll be able to decide what kinds of data you’re willing to share with that service. In addition, you can get paid by companies for sharing some kinds of data that they particularly value. As a developer, you can easily upload code, bots, services, or content and, when it’s used by others, you will get compensated for the use according to the licensing erms you set yourself. For example, if you contribute data that is used to train an AI algorithm, you will get paid for your contributions.
Fair Compensation for Creators
Imagine if you can do the work today and earn from it tomorrow, the day after, and even in five years. Companies do this all of the time, by licensing their intellectual property, and when that IP is valuable, it earns royalties. For most people, however, setting IP to earn royalties requires too much work to establish it with a publisher. Furthermore, companies have the ability to compound their income by making small incremental improvements over time, again something creators can’t do.
In the SEED Network, creators of all kinds (designers, developers, illustrators, coders, copywriters, etc.) will own their own work and have the ability to charge based on its use. This means that a developer can contribute code to a project and whenever that code runs, the developer gets paid.
Conclusion
In the next 10 years, will we experience as much change as we did in the past 30 years. Whether we are aware of it or not, AI is already here and beginning to transform our world.
By 2029, we will be living in a future where AI is smarter than Jarvis and as pervasive as our mobile phones, and as necessary. Will that AI that be controlled by a few giant corporations, or will it be one we have all chosen to contribute to? 2029 is a scant 11 years away. It is our responsibility to think about the future impacts of an AI now, and make decisions for the greater good before it is too late.
About Stefan
Stefan Kojouharov is a pioneering figure in the AI and chatbot industry, with a rich history of contributing to its evolution since 2016. Through his influential publications, conferences, and workshops, Stefan has been at the forefront of shaping the landscape of conversational AI.
Current Focus: Currently, Stefan is channeling his expertise into developing AI agents within the mental health and wellbeing sector. These projects aim to revolutionize the way we approach wellness, merging cutting-edge AI with human-centric care.
Join the Journey on Substack: For exclusive insights into the development process, breakthrough experiments, and in-depth tutorials, follow Stefan’s journey on Substack. Join a community of forward-thinkers and be a part of the conversation shaping the future of AI in mental health and wellbeing.
Subscribe now to Stefan’s Substack and unlock the full potential of AI-driven transformation.
