Blockchain
Blockchain technology revolutionizes the artificial intelligence landscape
A visitor looks at an AI (Artificial Intelligence) sign on an animated screen at Mobile World… [+] Congress (MWC), the largest annual gathering of the telecommunications sector, in Barcelona. (Photo by Josep LAGO/AFP) (Photo by JOSEP LAGO/AFP via Getty Images)
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The intersection between Web3 and artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly gaining traction, with blockchain technology playing a critical role in shaping the future of AI. As the world witnesses the exponential growth of AI, the need for decentralization, transparency, and democratization of AI resources has become more evident than ever.
Industry experts are addressing centralization issues in AI development by using blockchain technology to democratize access to AI resources, ensuring fair compensation for contributors and enabling secure use of proprietary data, with l aim to reshape the AI space towards a more equitable future.
Democratize access to artificial intelligence
One of the main goals of decentralized AI is to democratize access to AI resources, including data, models, and computing power. This democratization is crucial as the AI sector grows and the costs of computing large data sets increase, which could otherwise limit the number of entities able to compete in the space. Uses of decentralized artificial intelligence blockchain and other distributed ledger technologies to prevent a small group of dominant actors from monopolizing the AI landscape, thus promoting a more equitable distribution of resources. This approach helps address problems of centralized AI systems, such as lack of innovation and transparency, by promoting a collaborative environment where contributions from a wide range of participants are incentivized and valued.
I contacted Miguel Palencia, co-founder of Qtum, a proof-of-stake blockchain that just integrated 10,000 NVIDIA GPUs to power an AI image generator called Qtum Qurator and a chatbot dubbed Qtum Solstice for its take on AI centralization. “Giving everyone true ownership and provenance of AI assets is of the utmost importance. There is an urgent need to address the problem of the concentration of AI power in the hands of a few companies. The current centralized structure of AI development raises concerns about the potential misuse of these sophisticated tools, which have the power to shape society. Decentralization serves as a means to achieve self-sovereignty and ensure that AI benefits everyone, not just a select few.”
Rewarding contributors in the AI economy
The rise of generative AI models like GPT-3 and ChatGPT has highlighted the importance of fairly compensating contributors in the AI economy. These models rely on large amounts of open source data, such as Wikipedia, GitHub, and Reddit, to train and optimize their capabilities. However, the monetary benefits generated by these models often fail to reach the original contributors of the data.
In fact, “Until now, the Times has been the only major newspaper to take legal action against AI companies for copyright infringement,” according to Axios. Eight major US newspapers, part of Alden Global Capital, have sued OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement in New York, alleging that the companies have used their copyrighted articles to train artificial intelligence models without permission, which could radically alter compensation for news content in the age of artificial intelligence.
Decentralized AI aims to solve this problem by creating a more equitable AI ecosystem. By leveraging blockchain technology, it becomes possible to track and reward contributors for their valuable data and resources. This approach incentivizes participation and promotes a more collaborative and inclusive AI development process where people can be rewarded for their contributions.
Proprietary data and artificial intelligence development
While open source AI has its merits in accelerating model development and promoting transparency, it may not always be the optimal approach for companies with proprietary data. Industries such as finance and healthcare often have sensitive information that cannot be shared openly. Decentralized AI offers a solution by allowing these companies to become part of the development pipeline without compromising data privacy, using technologies such as federated learning, differential privacy, and homomorphic encryption to securely contribute to AI without exposing sensitive information.
Through decentralized AI platforms, companies can contribute their proprietary data to create valuable models and access, which others can then use to build a network of applications and monetize them. This approach allows companies to become shareholders of the entire AI ecosystem, earning rewards for their contributions without having to undertake the entire end-to-end process.
Shaping the future of decentralized AI
As the AI sector continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, the role of decentralization becomes increasingly crucial. The Web3 community has the opportunity to shape what decentralized AI will look like in the coming years. It is essential to create products that meet the needs of millions of users outside of the crypto space, focusing on simplicity and ease of use.
In my conversation with David Jones, CEO of Athens Network – an AI-integrated Layer 2 solution for Ethereum with nearly 4 million users – shared: “New York Times lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft highlights growing unease among content creators over unauthorized use of their property intellectual. This case highlights the broader implications of using copyrighted material without permission to train artificial intelligence models that could compete with traditional information sources. As the industry evolves, we can expect these challenges to lead to stricter regulations and ethical standards, which will be interesting to observe for anyone from the outside looking in. I expect the industries will be revamped.”
As the convergence between Web3 and AI gains momentum, decentralized AI is poised to revolutionize the world as we know it. By democratizing access to AI resources, rewarding contributors fairly, and enabling companies to leverage proprietary data securely, decentralized AI is paving the way for a future that may leave us unable to recognize the turbulent times in where we find ourselves today.
While skepticism persists about the viability of decentralized AI, industry experts remain confident in its transformative potential. AI could account for at least 30% of market capitalization in the near future. We’re seeing this exciting new frontier unfold before our eyes, and it’s clear that the fusion of Web3 and artificial intelligence will continue to redefine how we perceive and interact with the world around us.