AI Ethics and Decentralization
The following is an edited transcript of the keynote presentation delivered by David Orban at CryptoExpo in Dubai on Sept 20, 2021.
The opportunity before us is vast and significant. SingularityNET is building a decentralized, democratic, and inclusive platform for the emergence of beneficial artificial general intelligence, based on Blockchain. Today's SingularityNet is an ecosystem of products that address a wide range of problem spaces, in both hardware and software.
As the chairman of the Supervisory Council, it's my privilege to be part of the team shouldering the responsibility and find solutions.
We can indeed address our challenges. We're demonstrating the ability to be forward-looking and to be ready for the rapidly approaching future. That's the good news. The bad news is that even experts are finding it hard to keep up with the pace of development. It's not merely exponential acceleration anymore; the rate of change is super-exponential, based on what I call jolting technologies.
We are pioneers, exploring the possibilities that lie ahead. It is natural that we are going to make mistakes. These mistakes should be affordable ones. No one wants to inflict harm, either in the physical world or the digital platforms, through their actions or inaction. We must recognize however that we can't build the future or achieve our dreams without some cost.
Traditionally, we've been building centralized systems, which are effective but potentially dangerous due to their limited range of exploration and innovation. When people object to Bitcoin's inefficiency, for example, they miss the point that decentralization inherently involves some inefficiency, but that allows for a wider range of possible solutions.
The choice is ours: centralized or decentralized, closed or open. Decentralized Blockchain-based solutions typically have been very open. We all benefit from the transparency and accountability that Blockchain brings to the world.
Artificial Intelligence development over the past few decades has largely been centralized, with some exceptions. Moving to open and decentralized AI is now accelerating. As leaders in this domain, our job is to understand the available tools, and how we can fruitfully use, deploy, maintain, and evolve them. This is a challenging task, given the rapid evolution of AI platforms and the emerging ethical issues common to Blockchain and AI.
We must build systems that lead to human flourishing. We must understand that security, both at individual and organizational levels, can't be an afterthought. Platforms must be built with a security-oriented mindset so that our systems can be relied upon, even in adversarial conditions.
The interconnectedness of our world poses a question: do we want to isolate communities or enrich everyone through knowledge? Do we want to build something that interconnects just like the financial transactions of a global network? We must ask ourselves, how can we build AI solutions that connect and emancipate everyone?
The emerging field of digital and algorithmic ethics is constantly being enriched by novel components and meaningful findings. The effects of what we're building are tremendous. Billions of people are going to be empowered by the tools we are developing.
We're beginning to include the emerging machine civilization in this endeavor, where robots and software agents will be required to participate under necessary ethical, legal, and regulatory constraints. We'll be able to design collaboration platforms that aren't monopolies but are decentralized, enabling consensus mechanisms for dynamic conflict resolution.
The future toolset is exciting, accessible, and just a few clicks away. However, there is resistance to change by incumbent institutions, interested in preserving the status quo. Yet, change is inevitable, whether it takes a year, or ten years.
The challenge policymakers and regulators face is immense. They must strive to preserve the innovation that is possible and necessary for our future, while not destroying existing structures. We need to build new systems alongside old ones without resorting to the methods of violent conflict from the past. This requires a level of organizational adaptability that is unprecedented.
We are in a unique moment in human history, where the decisions we make will reverberate for thousands of years. That's why it's so important to preserve and promote freedom in order to find the path that works. If we do, we'll be building a new civilization.
You can join us in this endeavor by becoming a candidate to be an member of the SingularityNet Supervisory Council, where I am currently chairman. Our elections are around the corner. We are accepting candidates and anyone can step up and say, "I want to contribute." I look forward to welcoming you on board.
