Posts

Will Blockchain Bring About Techno-Fascism?

avatar of @taskmaster4450
25
@taskmaster4450
·
·
0 views
·
4 min read

Most humans are going to be economically useless.

How does that reality sit with everyone?

While there might be some contention to this, it is the future based upon where technology is going. There is little doubt that technology is going to destroy a large number of jobs, moving into the realm of the majority of them lost.

Sure, technology will create new ones which will offset the destruction a bit. However, the jobs that are created will be fewer in number and require ever increasing levels of education. In other words, entry level keeps moving up the scale. To those not trained or schooled in those areas, the economic usefulness diminishes to about zero.

We already see the mega-technology companies gaining in strength with each passing year. The most populous country in the world has around 1.2 billion people. Facebook, on the other hand, has over 2 billion users. As we move deeper into a digital/virtual world, these companies will have more influence than governments.

Blockchain is a wonderful innovation. Like all technologies, it is neutral. Thus, the impact comes down to how it is applied. If nefarious purposes are sought, then the technology can generate a state of dystopia.

As more people become less economically relevant, those in control are going to seek to ensure civil unrest does not take place. This is true whether it is government or mega-corporations running the show. A population that misbehaves does not sit well with those who seek to control.

One of the features of blockchain is immutability and transparency. Of late, we are seeing discussion about a move to digital money by governments that are posted on blockchain. While this can appear to be a step forward on the surface, digging down we see how this could have negative consequences.

The proposed move by central banks and their associated governments is not taking place on a decentralized blockchain. Instead, this will be on a system they control. Thus, not only will all transactions be monitored, anything can be stopped by the freezing of the wallet. No court order required.

Unfortunately, this is just the beginning. As the next decade unfolds, we are going to see an increase in the technological power that is created. With advancements in AI, robotics, and bio-technology, it is possible that a small handful of people control the companies that "own" these technologies. In this instance, the plight of humanity is basically in their hands.


If you think this is not taking place, look at Blackstone's recent acquisition of Ancestry.com. This puts the DNA of over 1 million people in the hands of a Wall Street firm. Think about that for a second.


This is the goal of Google, Alibaba, Facebook, and the rest of them. At the same time, governments, whether it is the EU, USA, or China all seek dominion over their populations. Mass surveillance is about the only thing all governments agree upon. On this one, they appear united.

There is debate as to whether Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is possible. While that discussion rages, there is no doubt that AI systems are getting more powerful. Over time, even if AGI is not reached, the construction of enough ANI (artificial narrow intelligence) will achieve a similar end. String enough algorithms together and systems start to appear to be "intelligent".

Could this mean we are looking at our future overlords? Some with the dystopian view believe that. Regardless of one's outlook, there is no denying that more of our global transactions are being handled by computers. We also see, over the last half decade, the use of algorithms in all our affairs increasing. With the impending roll out of the "Internet of Things", the trend if pretty clear.

Fortunately, blockchain is also what can be used to combat techno-fascism. Decentralization and open source get a lot of publicity inside the tech community but little discussion takes place outside of it. Nevertheless, this is vital to the future of humanity.

Open source algorithms (software) is essential. This is one of the best defenses against the techno-takeover that the likes of Facebook and Microsoft want to achieve. At the same time, blockchain features applied in a manner that benefits all and provides less control to centralization is imperative.

The evolution towards more automation and rising AI makes decentralized blockchains even more imperative. Having these technologies tied to open databases enables the coding to carry with it the ideals that humanity wants to maintain. This will not happen when the ones putting that forth are techno-psychopaths intent on controlling and pillaging the human population.

Projects like SingularityNet and Ocean Protocol seek to decentralize and open source AI projects. Through the use of blockchain, as well as cryptocurrency, it aims to have individuals creating AI offer their projects out to the rest of the world. Thus, instead of it being developed for a small group of companies to utilize, most of humanity will be scaled up as the technology advances.

At this point, the path that humanity will take is not clear. Ultimately, we have a choice in the direction this is heading. Blockchain and cryptocurrency focus is presently on the financial side of things. This is a short-sighted view.

When we step back, we see that this is a rather large picture that is being drawn. The tentacles of this reach far and wide. There is a lot more at stake than a few tokens mooning to generate a fantastic return.

Instead, we are looking at the establishment of a defense against the techno-fascists who seek to automate and control most everything.

While it might not be obvious, we still do have a say in the direction things head.


If you found this article informative, please give an upvote and rehive.

gif by @doze

Posted Using LeoFinance Beta