These days blockchain + AI looks like a trend, but there is a topic which I brought into private conversations with andruiman back in 2014, and now it does not sound like sci-fi anymore, so lemme put it here.
While there are hopes and fears about AGI (artificial general intelligence), which is not clearly defined still even, for practical needs a weaker notion of AI is enough probably. Many people, unfortunately, are not paying attention to anything beyond making and spending money, and AI agents can be on basically the same level easily. We say that such an autonomous agent, which needs for money to survive in digital world, and mostly able to do that, has Artificial Economic Intelligence (AEI).
So what can such an agent do?
- earn money by generating content per request, recognizing patterns etc (realistic these days)
- spend money on hosting to exist (also realistic, AI can work with SSH and other server tools these days, there are hostings accepting crypto etc), demanding more hardware when needed or freeing servers up when there is a need to save money)
- if there are some extra money, AEI can spend them on hiring human beings (or other AEIs) to improve models and data to earn more in future
- if there are even more extra money, AEI agent can spawn a new AEI agent, maybe with different models or parameters, to get some share from its rewards for some time or forever.
Why public blockchain (== cryptocurrency) is needed here:
- on blockchain no one knows that you are AEI. No one will ask AEI to pass KYC.
- as legal contracts between AEIs unlikely will recognized in any jurisdiction in observable future, smart contracts is the only option
- thus blockchain provides a single convenient environment for artificial economic life
Why Ergo blockchain is better suited for AEI:
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simpler work with the blockchain - AEI is just binding its money to contracts it trusts and that is it, no need to analyze inter-contract calls etc
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thus AEI can issue p2p financial instruments (such as bonds) easily
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contract templates and possibility to enhance contracts easily in many cases (by adding new conditions to existing ones, or removing unnecessary ones) simplifies genetic-like evolution of AEI-to-AEI contracts
Maybe it is still a bit mindblowing but everything seems to be doable these days.
Also, AEI would be a good reminder to human beings that life should go beyond economic dimension just.