Looking ahead to what we can expect by the new decade’s end, VC firm Andreessen Horowitz predicts that Bitcoin is likely to be central to the monetization mechanisms that future online influencers will use.
Andreessen Horowitz sees the role of private digital assets like its hypothetical “Influencer Coin” as being a way for online fans to secure a stake in an influencer’s rising popularity — similar to the way start-up employees participate in their startups’ growth through equity.
In its Dec. 30 vignette of a highly automated future — where food is tailored to an individual’s microbiome and lifestyle in a “roboticized kitchen”, and VR and avatars are part and parcel of everyday business workflows — Andreessen Horowitz writes that by 2030:
“The influencer can reach hundreds of her fans instantaneously. In turn, the fans can get paid instantly for giving this feedback. They can choose to get paid in a cryptocurrency like Bitcoin or Libra, or they can choose to get paid in Influencer Coin.”
Strategic trends in the roaring 20s
In a less literary take on strategic technology trends for the new decade — yet one that overlaps significantly with Andreessen Horowitz in its overall vision — ComputerWeekly.com has identified blockchain, hyper-automation and artificial intelligence security as the key drivers of change.
“In the future, true blockchain or ‘blockchain complete’ will have the potential to transform industries”, ComputerWeekly contributor Brian Burke wrote on Jan. 2, further predicting that the technology will be “fully scalable by 2023.”
Blockchain together with complementary technologies such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT) will expand the type of participants in decentralized and automated networks, Burke notes.
In the automotive industry, a smart sensor-equipped car could be able to negotiate insurance prices directly and automatically with an insurer using blockchain and IoT, for example.
More broadly, the report points to data privacy measures, increasingly democratized technology and distributed cloud computing as key parallel trends to blockchain in the coming decade.
“Dark” times
On the cusp of the new year, ZenGo wallet CEO Ouriel Ohayon tweeted his “joke-mode” 2020 predictions. Swerving between the mock-apocalyptic and the sarcastic, he wrote:
“Bitcoin will crash to sub-1000 USD; all hardware wallets will be hacked; Tron/XRP will become the most important cryptocurrency; Satoshi identity will be revealed and will be disappointing; Trump will stack sats on twitter; Lightning will have glorious adoption.”
Alethea to Launch Decentralized Network for Deepfakes and Synthetic Content
Alethea AI is launching a decentralized Synthetic Content Network to track the usage and intellectual property of AI-generated content. The company plans to offer a wide selection of content, including but not limited to face-swapped deepfake videos.
Alethea is a production studio for AI-generated content, having previously released a video featuring Binance’s CEO Changpeng Zhao’s face in a martial arts setting. Other content includes a video on climate change, made to challenge the negative reputation of deepfakes.
Synthetic content is often criticized for its potential impact on fake news. These videos use AI-based voice and face reconstruction to make realistic-looking clones of important figures. While generally used only for memes, some argue that they may be used for manipulating media.
With the Synthetic Content Network, Alethea is attempting to introduce a mechanism for clearly disclosing AI-generated content and only allowing it with the consent of the person being shown.
The platform uses blockchain technology to maintain records of ownership and permission for usage, in addition to ensuring that the creators own the rights to the AI software they use. It will be powered by Alethea’s native token, which aims to introduce incentives for the various interactions between the ecosystem’s players.
In addition to face-swapping deep fakes, Alethea wants to empower its users to create other types of content. For example, fans of a certain celebrity could use Alethea to create videos of them doing particular actions: dancing, reading a book, or making motivational speeches.
All videos created with Alethea will be labeled as satirical and will include watermarks to clearly distinguish them from true content. The project’s stated goal is to democratize access to AI, allowing creative expression through the technology in a manner that would not violate the rights of the people involved.
