Blockchain - Spencer Heckathorn's Blog

Warning Scary Predictions at the END. These are some quick ideas I wanted to get out down on paper. Idea 1: Business Structure I have not checked if anyone is using this yet, but it would be interesting to see someone build a blockchain business structure. You can even do interesting ventures with people. For instance, build a business contract that lasts until you make a certain amount of money or reach a particular date. I have more to say on this one and started another post about it. So I will come back around to it. Also, if you are in the legal profession and would like to see some possibilities here, we need a legal writer for this project. Idea 2: Learning Verification I've told several people about this one, but ditch the degree and put everything on the blockchain. I think the real goal is to show that you work hard and have decent results. You could also have results verification. One way to do this is like the testing we see today has webcams; you could employ a hash of your picture diligently working. I know many people will immediately start working on defeating something like that, but there surely is a way to do this. Idea 3: Public verification Things are strange right now with AI generating anybody saying anything. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUfJOQKdtAk I honestly think I have seen people posting things from political candidates literally re-writing history. We could really go down a rabbit hole on this one, but you can have people saying things that will help put them in the best light. Or you could make them look very villainous. Potentially destroying someone's career and life before any due diligence. Even advertisers, politicians, stars, and really anyone (read this crazy story: Mom Deepfakes Cheer Girl) could be a victim or be the one abusing this technology. Imagine every bad thing a politician has said. They only need to go back and record a follow-up debunking what came out of their mouth 20 years ago. "I will harm trees." {magic of AI} "I will harm trees. Is something no responsible person should ever do." Because of the way the blockchain works, you can have people post things that will, in a way, "lock in their vote." This is a half-baked idea at this point, but I will come back around to it. What Could Ever Go Wrong Something terrifying I have been thinking about recently is all the illegitimate uses for AI and blockchain. The thing is, I don't expect anyone to listen or stop. History shows us they wouldn't. And being here now in history and have the "feeling" that I understand AI and blockchain subdues my fears and thoughts. "Look," I say, "It's only a ledger. It can't be that bad." or "It's not really choosing anything. It's only a mathematical formula that assigns percentages based on probability." BUT. The truth is, these things are scary. These potential uses are scary. Anyone, but especially a government or other corporation, can use blockchain to make an irrefutable record of what you do or say. Mix in some AI with that, and you might even have the ability to map someone's mind. The real thing we need to think about is that we always throughout history think we know and understand, and again and again, we are shown otherwise. With that said, I'm sure there is some saying like: "To those that get there first, the spoils do go. " Edit: I noticed some errors I corrected. Also, I would like to add I do not intend to leave you on such a negative note, but I do think it is important to think about AI and the potential impact on our lives.