Bitget App
Trade smarter
Buy cryptoMarketsTradeFuturesCopyBotsEarn
Big Tech can’t own AI’s future if we decentralize it first

Big Tech can’t own AI’s future if we decentralize it first

BlockworksBlockworks2024/11/13 09:22
By:Blockworks

AI’s future shouldn’t be decided by a handful of tech giants

While AI’s potential to benefit humanity is vast, its trajectory under corporate monopolies threatens to concentrate power, excluding most stakeholders from shaping its future. The best way forward? Decentralize AI through community-driven, blockchain-based models and build a transparent, inclusive ecosystem that keeps AI safe, ethical and accessible to everyone.

When OpenAI launched in 2015, it aimed to “benefit all of humanity” with an open source, nonprofit approach. Yet, less than a decade (and much leadership turmoil ) later, its pivot to a for-profit model — driven by a pressing $6.6 billion debt to investors — has made it clear that corporate interests, not collective benefit, are increasingly shaping AI’s development. The move illustrates a wider trend: Today’s leading AI organizations are becoming tightly controlled, profit-driven and increasingly opaque.

While these changes might be justifiable from a business standpoint, AI’s future shouldn’t rest solely with a few powerful companies. The shift toward private investor-driven AI has the potential for dystopian consequences, excluding grassroots users and developers from contributing meaningfully, just as many were sidelined in the Web2 era.

Read more from our opinion section: A small group of tech giants are holding AI’s future hostage

To counterbalance this trend, decentralized and community-led AI initiatives are crucial. These would offer an alternative where AI systems remain accessible, safe and unbiased, reducing the impact of profit-driven “black box” models.

Newsletter

Subscribe to Blockworks Daily

Subscribe

Today, AI development is dominated by a few major players — OpenAI-Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Meta, Nvidia — all racing toward monopolization. By controlling critical parts of the AI stack — models, training data and applications — companies can maximize profits, keeping revenues and innovation tightly siloed.

Moreover, cloud infrastructure controlled by Amazon and Google provides most of the compute and storage resources needed to train and deploy AI systems. This centralization comes at a steep cost: According to Akash Network, grassroots developers will spend over $679 billion on cloud computing in 2024 — already unaffordable for most small-medium players, with costs likely to rise as demand grows.

Read more: Cloud computing is operated by an anti-competitive oligopoly, says Osuri

Within Big Tech’s walled gardens, users are given limited, conditional access to AI tools and APIs — often at exorbitant prices. Because AI’s development has become a winner-takes-all game, corporate interests will continue to compromise long-term ethical considerations in favor of immediate revenue. OpenAI’s recent dissolution of its Superalignment team, as Jan Leike pointed out , suggests that safety and accountability are taking a backseat to high-profile product launches.

Decentralization is the best antidote to BigAI monopolies. Ongoing blockchain AI innovations let user and developer communities become active, incentivized contributors in AI’s evolution. Projects like KIP Protocol have pioneered decentralized ownership of the AI stack, allowing individuals to contribute data for model training without needing to build the models themselves. This lowers entry barriers, while crypto-based payment rails enable non-intermediated profit-sharing among stakeholders.

Read more from our opinion section: The internet is broken. What if we can fix it?: On Chris Dixon’s ‘Read Write Own’

Similarly, Akash Network’s decentralized marketplace provides storage and compute resources at roughly 80% lower costs than centralized providers. Projects such as Flock.io are already leveraging Akash’s infrastructure for decentralized AI training.

Beyond these examples, decentralized physical infrastructure (DePIN) projects are one of DeFi’s most active areas, according to Nansen. With initiatives like NodeFi, end-users can monetize excess compute or storage on personal devices. By offering governance rights to node owners, projects in this space can take community-owned AI to the next level.

Funding trends reflect this momentum. Decentralized AI projects are drawing attention from investors, with AI startups raising 30% of total funding in Q3 2024 — an impressive $52.2 billion, according to Stocklytics. Blockchain AI ventures like Wire Network and OpenGradient have emerged alongside traditional players, and the gap between decentralized and centralized AI presents immense opportunities for growth.

This influx of funding is more than just a financial trend; it signals a shift in industry priorities towards decentralized alternatives. Decentralized AI offers a feasible, attractive alternative to BigAI, promising an inclusive, equitable and accessible future. BigAI is moving at breakneck speed to establish dominance, and the time to support decentralized alternatives is now. There is no looking back.

Start your day with top crypto insights from David Canellis and Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter .

Explore the growing intersection between crypto, macroeconomics, policy and finance with Ben Strack, Casey Wagner and Felix Jauvin. Subscribe to the Forward Guidance newsletter .

Get alpha directly in your inbox with the 0xResearch newsletter — market highlights, charts, degen trade ideas, governance updates, and more.

The Lightspeed newsletter is all things Solana, in your inbox, every day. Subscribe to daily Solana news from Jack Kubinec and Jeff Albus.

Tags
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • big tech
  • decentralization
  • DePIN
0

Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.

PoolX: Locked for new tokens.
APR up to 10%. Always on, always get airdrop.
Lock now!

You may also like

BREAKING: FBI Operation on the CEO of the Most Talked Cryptocurrency Platform of Recent Times – Phone and Electronics Seized

The FBI launched an operation against one of the most talked about cryptocurrency platforms of the US elections. Here are the details.

Bitcoinsistemi2024/11/14 07:33

Another Good News for Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies – BTC-Friendly Name Appointed to a Very Critical Position in the US

A name known to be cryptocurrency and Bitcoin friendly has been elected to an important position in the US. Here are all the details.

Bitcoinsistemi2024/11/14 07:33

Cardano (ADA) Foundation Announces Investment Portfolio! Do They Have Bitcoin (BTC)?

The Cardano Foundation announced that it has $478.24 million in assets, the majority of which is in ADA.

Bitcoinsistemi2024/11/14 07:33