Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder and chief scientist of Ethereum, believes that the values underpinning crypto and web3 hold the key to ensuring that the trajectory of technological advancement serves to benefit mankind.
In a January 5 blog post, Buterin noted that more than 12 months have passed since he first outlined his ethos for techno-optimism, advocating for “decentralized and democratic, differential defensive acceleration (d/acc).”
Buterin summarized the philosophy as the belief that technological advancements have allowed humanity to circumvent many dangers in the past, but that future innovation could lead society towards either a positive or harmful future.
As such, Vitalik argues that extending the underlying values of web3 — such as decentralization, resistance, and open economy — to mainstream technological development could help to combat associated risks, including centralization, cybersecurity, and bio-defense.
“We want to build specific things that make the world safer and better,” Buterin said. “Build technologies that shift the offense/defense balance toward defense, and do so in a way that does not rely on handing over more power to centralized authorities.”
Vitalik outlines new ideas for d/acc
Buterin builds on his previous post by outlining ideas for how d/acc technologies can help humanity “thrive,” rather than merely “survive.”
For example, Vitalik noted that zero-knowledge proofs both enable privacy preservation and increase the scope of data available for scientific analysis, while prediction markets provide value in the context of both “high-cooperation” and “high-adversity” environments.
However, Buterin also acknowledges that his initial d/acc manifesto prescribed “good” technological development at the expense of offering strategies for combating “bad” innovation.
One example is the rapid advancement of artificial technology (AI), with some analysts predicting that artificial general intelligence (AGI) could become a reality within the next half-decade. As such, d/acc critics suggest that regulatory intervention may be necessary in order to mitigate the threats associated with AGI.
Buterin retorts that regulations aren’t necessarily incompatible with d/acc values, arguing that d/acc technologies would be consonant with regulations that impose liability on AI users for their actions.
D/acc Discovery Day unites innovators
Vitalik also highlighted the success of the November 14 “d/acc Discovery Day” at the latest Devcon conference. The event hosted speakers representing a wide range of specialized fields including biotech, cyber, and neurotech, facilitating collaboration between disparate actors.
“One of the most positive takeaways from the d/acc event at Devcon was the extent to which the d/acc umbrella successfully brought people together from very different fields, and got them to actually be interested in each other’s work,” Buterin said.
Vitalik continued that the Devcon Discovery Day proved d/acc efficacy as a vehicle for “broad coalition building,” concluding that such efforts are vital in advancing technological development for the betterment of mankind.
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