Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin recently turned 30 and took the opportunity to reflect on the past decade, but his interest in the future remains strong. In a recent blog post, Buterin expressed tempered optimism on the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and cryptocurrencies.
Buterin believes that the most promising intersection of AI and crypto lies in AI’s participation in decentralized systems, such as autonomous trading bots on decentralized exchanges. However, he raises an important question regarding whether AI should be used for decision-making and how blockchain technology can support the training of AI decision-makers.
One area where Buterin sees potential is the use of prediction markets, like Polymarket, for combating false information. He suggests that AI trained to search the internet could use prediction markets to provide info defense by participating in a market that aims to uncover the truth, without the need for a centralized authority.
Buterin acknowledges the potential shortcomings of integrating AI and crypto, particularly the risks associated with adversarial machine learning, where individuals manipulate AI systems to produce biased outcomes. He suggests that technology like zero-knowledge proofs could help address this issue. However, there are challenges in applying cryptographic methods to AI development, as they can significantly increase the computing power required.
To overcome adversarial machine learning, Buterin proposes hiding access to the AI models and the data used to train them. He also suggests that the training and access to AI models could be governed by a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), which could financially reward participants.
Despite his concerns, Buterin believes that integrating AI with crypto is worth exploring, especially in a world where AI is already centralized and opaque. He notes that the blockchain community experimenting with AI is unlikely to worsen the situation.
This perspective from Buterin has had an impact on crypto markets, with AI-related tokens such as Bittensor (TAO) and Render (RNDR) seeing double-digit gains this week.
Overall, Buterin’s stance on the integration of AI and crypto reflects his cautious optimism. While there are challenges to address, he believes that exploring this intersection could have potential benefits and contribute to the development of both AI and blockchain technology. As the crypto community continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how these two fields intertwine and shape the future.
