For a time I believed that Artificial Intelligence and cryptocurrency were two completely separate things.
Artificial Intelligence always seemed like something that big companies controlled. They had the equipment and the closed systems. It was about making the smartest models. On the hand cryptocurrency looked like a space where people were mostly trying to make quick money.
Over the past few months I noticed something interesting happening between these two industries.
Artificial Intelligence was getting more powerful every week. However the people who were actually helping to create this intelligence were slowly being left out of the picture. Millions of people contribute data every day. They do this through conversations, corrections and feedback. Artificial Intelligence systems use all of that value.. Once these models become successful the people who contributed are rarely remembered.
The system remembers the data.
The economy forgets the people who contribute to Artificial Intelligence.
This imbalance has been going on for years.
This realization led me to look into OpenLedger.
At first I thought OpenLedger was another project that combined Artificial Intelligence and cryptocurrency. I was skeptical because the cryptocurrency space is always coming up with ideas.. The more I researched OpenLedger the more it seemed like they were trying to solve a big problem. This problem is about ownership and attribution in Artificial Intelligence systems.
That idea stuck with me.
Today most conversations about Artificial Intelligence are still about the models. Which model is the fastest? Which one is the smartest? Which company has the funding?. Underneath all of that there is a more important question.
Who actually creates value in these Artificial Intelligence systems?
OpenLedger seems to be focused on that question.
Of treating data like something that is free for big Artificial Intelligence companies to use OpenLedger introduces the idea of Payable Artificial Intelligence. This means that datasets, models and Artificial Intelligence agents can be tracked economically. The people who contribute are no longer just giving away their data for free. They can actually become a part of the economy.
What makes this interesting is that OpenLedger is not an idea.
Since the OPEN Mainnet launch people can submit datasets developers can train models using those datasets. Rewards can be given out directly through smart contracts.
This changes the way people think about participating.
Suddenly data does not feel like something that's invisible.
It starts to look like work that has value.
I think that difference matters a lot.
One thing that caught my attention was OpenLedgers Proof of Attribution engine.
Attribution in language models is always a challenge. This is because the outputs are collective and hard to trace back.
The logic behind OpenLedgers attribution model makes sense.
If removing a datapoint makes a model weaker then that datapoint must have been important.
Course attribution in Artificial Intelligence will never be perfect.
Large models are just too complex.. Trying to make it work introduces transparency and accountability.
That may become very important in the future.
As Artificial Intelligence moves into industries like healthcare and finance companies may start asking questions.
They may ask whether the datasets are verified, licensed and legally defensible.
That is where OpenLedgers focus on transparency could become very relevant.
Another thing I liked was their approach to building ecosystems.
Of trying to be everything OpenLedger seems focused on building structured ecosystems. In todays market that approach feels refreshing.
At the time I do not think it will be easy.
Whenever money is involved there will be people trying to manipulate the system. There will be low-quality datasets, spam and disputes. The real test for OpenLedger is just starting.
Can they keep attribution trustworthy?
Can they keep the incentives for contributors
Can they stop people from exploiting the system?
I do not know.
Maybe that uncertainty is what makes this important.
Because OpenLedger feels like one of the projects that is trying to solve a real problem.
They are not just selling an idea.
At its core this conversation is not about blockchain or Artificial Intelligence models.
It is about memory.
If millions of people help create Artificial Intelligence should the system remember them economically?
The current Artificial Intelligence economy says no.
OpenLedger seems to be trying to build a system that says maybe it should.
Perhaps that question will become one of the most important questions, in the future of Artificial Intelligence.
