Davos Spotlight: The Crypto-Driven Push for Decentralized AI

• Generative AI and the Power of Data Control
• Corporate Powerhouse in AI: Examining the Big Five
• The Role of Data
• AI Age and the Challenge of Data Control
• Decentralizing Data Management
• AI and Blockchain: A Promising Intersection

Generative AI and the Power of Data Control

Companies pioneering in generative artificial intelligence are contributing to a concentration of power in this technology sector. Major players, including Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, and Meta, have dominated the sector, investing billions in the technology through both stake acquisitions in startups such as Open AI and Anthropic, and their internal projects.

Corporate Powerhouse in AI: Examining the Big Five

The Role of Data

The leading positions these companies hold is largely due to the enormous volume of digital data they possess. This data is derived from human behaviour and language choices, which are instrumental in training the LLMs. The Big Five's search engines, social media platforms, browsers, operating systems, and cloud computing services have extracted zettabytes of such data about our online activity and the social relations it reveals.

Encouraged by the prevailing surveillance capitalism business model of the internet economy, these companies utilized the data to create new algorithms to subtly direct consumers towards actions that serve their business interests. The significant rise in their market cap numbers illustrates that this model has greatly served the platforms' shareholders, despite the evidence of its detrimental societal impact.

AI Age and the Challenge of Data Control

Moving forward, there are significant concerns about carrying this oligopolistic model into the AI age, where data-driven algorithms are expected to have even greater influence over our lives. The question of whether centralized corporate owners of the AI infrastructure should have absolute control over all information pertaining to our essence as human beings is indeed a pertinent one.

The platforms are expected to defend their right to exploit their data. However, recognizing it as our data is crucial, especially given the dangers associated with monopoly and secret manipulation of this human-sensitive information by companies that have already shown a capacity to harm us.

Decentralizing Data Management

Arriving at a model where data and content are controlled at the edges of the network rather than the center is a challenge for future discussions. Changes in data management models are inevitable. As it stands, many institutions that control digital content are expected to start withholding any new material from the AI companies. This development could pave the way for AI models operating on a more decentralized system, where training data is only used upon consent from its owners.

To facilitate this, blockchain could enable decentralized tracking approaches. This would serve to assure consenting owners that their data and content is being utilized as described and to guard against AI-driven deep fake tricks. A system of verification is needed that would allow people to trust a censorship-resistant, open-source protocol rather than relying on Big Tech promises to do the right thing.

AI and Blockchain: A Promising Intersection

The intersection of AI and blockchain is a highly discussed topic among the crypto community. This interest was seen at the World Economic Forum in Davos, with discussions about new developments such as the Hedera$0.089 -1.07% Hashgraph-proofed data validation system and the decentralized compute project known as MorpheusAI.

Despite these talks being largely separate from other AI programming during Davos, it is critical that the mainstream pays attention to the decentralizers in the blockchain community. The need for decentralization and demystification of AI and blockchain technology is more significant now than ever.

Edited by Jonathan Stoker