When you’re interested by rising tech, it’s tougher to think about a cooler job than Allison Duettmann’s. She’s the CEO of the Foresight Institute, a assume tank based in 1986 that’s dedicated to advancing science and tech that’s arguably undervalued — fields like nanotechnology, area exploration, and harnessing cryptography to construct safer AI.
Allison Duettmann is speaker on the AI Stage at Consensus 2024, in Austin, Texas, Could 29-31.
Duettmann lives on this planet of Large Future Concepts. She’s the coauthor of “Gaming the Future: Applied sciences for Clever Voluntary Cooperation”; she’s the founding father of Existential Hope (with a mission of “Considering Large for Optimistic Futures”); and she or he’ll be becoming a member of Consensus 2024 on the inaugural AI Summit to share insights on what’s legitimately helpful on this planet of AI+Crypto, and what’s simply hype.
In a current Zoom interview, we cowl the staggering upside of nanotechnology, dig into how crypto might assist the event of AI, and we could have by accident simply birthed a billion-dollar token.
Interview has been condensed and evenly edited for readability.Let’s begin with a curveball. With some tech that appears necessary to you, however doesn’t get lots of press: Nanotechnology. If we crack the code of nanotech, what’s an instance of a use case? How would the world be totally different?Allison Duettmann: Principally, it might revolutionize the complete method wherein we produce issues. So, sure, particular person functions are thrilling. However extra usually, it’s nearly like we’re nonetheless producing issues on this tremendous stone-agey method. We take the assets we’ve got and try to strap them collectively.
But when we might get far more exact [through nanotech] about what sorts of assets we use within the manufacturing course of… Like, presently, we’re working at a completely unsuitable stage. We’re producing a lot waste within the course of of manufacturing.
Think about a 3D-printing technique, for instance, however on a tiny molecular scale. So that you’d have huge positive factors on that entrance. Nanotech might have actually fascinating implications on {hardware} for computing, and actually fascinating functions in longevity expertise.
How so?
For cryonics, for instance, you want nearly molecular nanotechnology for the revival of sufferers — similar to on the drug supply stage or the nanobots in your bloodstream perspective. Then there’s additionally innovation from an environmental perspective; carbon drawdown can be enabled by means of molecular nanotechnology, or waste elimination within the biosphere.
Given the huge upside, why hasn’t there been extra growth in nanotech?
One factor that is so fascinating about nanotech is that for anyone particular person utility, there’s in all probability a neater technique to do it. But when we had this type of normal objective, excessive throughput nanotechnology, then you may be utilizing that for a lot of totally different fields.
So there’s by no means one incentive to develop it for a person actor. That’s why progress has been so sluggish. It’s nearly like this public good that after it’s created, it might probably trigger these revolutions throughout totally different industries. However for any particular person utility, there’s by no means a novel creative to develop it.
That’s so fascinating. I say this solely largely in jest… it seems like a great candidate for a crypto mission. As a result of it’s one thing that may take an enormous crowd to capitalize, with the advantages conferred to a bigger group. Is there a NANO token?!
Properly…
If not, let’s begin one, Allison!
Sure, now that we’ve stated it, the Nano DAO.
[Both laugh.]
No, however I believe in all seriousness, it matches rather well. There are a lot of folks within the Foresight group which might be additionally in crypto and care a bunch about nano. A whole lot of the early sci-fi nano concepts match rather well with the philosophy of crypto.
Okay let’s discuss crypto and AI. What do you see as probably the most promising, authentic ways in which blockchain might help with the event of safer or higher AI?
I suppose I might say there are three buckets. One can be the safety aspect of issues, the place the Web3/crypto area has lots of expertise with failing quick if you do not have safe methods constructed.
As a result of most of the methods within the permissionless or immutable areas — in case you do not construct them appropriately — there could also be a million-dollar bounty hooked up to them. So I believe this spirit of constructing security and having an nearly unintentional vetting course of is a crucial mindset, as we construct up AI methods.
And the second?
The second is on the aspect of, how can we leverage applied sciences that the crypto area can also be engaged on, to construct AI methods that we’d need from a human perspective?
Are you able to give an instance?
So, there could also be extra privacy-preserving functions which might be potential as we draw extra on the cryptography areas. They might allow us to supply higher functions, for instance, for human well being and in finance, leveraging cryptographic applied sciences. And we could possibly use cryptographic applied sciences to assist us create higher, very superior AI methods.
And what’s the third and closing bucket?
The governance aspect of AI. So, you’ll be able to probably use cryptographic applied sciences to show that you just’re following sure security benchmarks or requirements. Somewhat than having to share all the info that’s probably proprietary, you’ll be able to solely share info that’s wanted to show you’re hitting sure security benchmarks.
Nice, and I do know we’ll unpack all of this extra on the AI Summit. Talking of, what are you most wanting ahead to at Consensus this 12 months?
I’m actually wanting ahead to discovering what the state of crypto and AI has actually come to at this level. I come at it from the foundational analysis aspect of issues or extra on the type of cryptography and safety aspect of issues. However I additionally know that many individuals have been actually constructing exhausting within the Web3 and AI area. So, I am actually to see which of my hypotheses — or which of different folks’s hypotheses — have come out. Who’s constructing what proper now? And the place are there potential synergies throughout totally different merchandise? I’m excited to see what’s taking place in that area.
You and me each. See you at Consensus.