Blockchain: The Guardrail for AI? Coinbase Envisions Decentralized Tech Taming Artificial Intelligence

Artificial general intelligence (AGI) is approaching faster than anticipated, and it could radically transform our world. However, experts remain uncertain about its final form and impact. One potential safeguard against unchecked AI development might be found in an unexpected place: blockchain technology.

Coinbase's Head of Research, David Duong, outlined this vision in a recent report, advocating for blockchain as a means to address the growing challenges within the rapidly evolving AI space.

Duong believes that as AI and blockchain mature, they may offer areas of collaboration and birth new use cases for crypto, specifically designed to mitigate the societal challenges posed by AI. The convergence of these technologies could pave the way for crypto entrepreneurs to explore uncharted territories, carving out novel solutions to pressing problems.

Duong identified five key issues associated with the rise of advanced AI, such as large language models powering chatbots like ChatGPT, and suggested potential blockchain- and crypto-based solutions for each:

1. Demand for data resources: Generative AI relies heavily on vast databases. Duong suggests that a system of token incentives and penalties could ensure data quality meets the high standards required by these models.
2. Demand for computational resources: The intense computing power required for generative AI could be alleviated by blockchain-enabled decentralized networks, which reward users for lending their idle GPUs.
3. Misinformation and disinformation: As fears of AI-propelled misinformation campaigns rise, blockchain and non-fungible token (NFT) technology could establish the provenance of images, videos, music, and other media, thus helping to combat this issue.
4. Auditability: AI's decision-making process can often be opaque. Blockchain integration could bring transparency to these processes and enable users to scrutinize the reliability of AI-produced outcomes.
5. Democratizing AI development and use: Duong asserts that crypto can make AI more accessible by fostering diverse contributions and redistributing access, so that more users can reap its benefits, such as in healthcare advice or e-commerce.

Blockchain's potential role as AI's watchdog is a fascinating new frontier in the interplay between decentralized technologies and AI. As we inch closer to the advent of AGI, such proactive measures might prove invaluable in steering AI's progress for the benefit of society.