• Bangkok will host the Open AGI Summit on November 13 alongside DevCon 2024.
• The summit focuses on ethical AI development through decentralized governance models.
• Prominent speakers include Pramod Viswanath and Sandeep Nailwal from leading firms.

Bangkok is set to be the epicenter of innovation as it hosts the Open AGI Summit on November 13, 2024, in conjunction with DevCon, a major blockchain developer conference.

These unique events aim to explore the intersection of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and decentralized technologies, fostering dialogue about the ethical implications of AI in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Supported by flagship partners including Google Cloud, Sentient, Polygon Labs, and SCB 10X|SCBX, the Open AGI Summit promises to engage both AI and blockchain communities.

All eyes on the Open AGI Summit

As the world advances toward AGI, concerns about centralized control and potential societal risks are becoming increasingly prominent. The Open AGI Summit seeks to address these anxieties by examining how decentralized, blockchain-based governance models can lead to safer and more transparent AI development.

By emphasizing collaboration and ethical dimensions, the summit aspires to ensure that AGI serves as a tool for universal benefit and prosperity.

The summit will feature prominent voices from the fields of AI, blockchain, and web3, including Pramod Viswanath, a professor of engineering at Princeton University, and Sandeep Nailwal, co-founder of Polygon.

Nailwal highlights the critical decision society faces: to allow a handful of corporations to dominate AI technology or to embrace a future where AI is open, transparent, and accessible to all. He asserts that blockchain technology can ensure the equitable distribution of AI benefits, guided by collective values.

Discussions at the summit will cover essential topics, including advancements in AI safety research, decentralized governance structures, and ethical considerations in AI development.

Attendees can expect a deep dive into the innovative synergy between AI and blockchain, emphasizing emerging applications that could redefine industries.

Ultimately, the Open AGI Summit aims to bridge the gap between academia, industry, and the decentralized AI community, fostering collaboration towards responsible AGI development.

This convergence is essential for ensuring that AI technologies are built with a commitment to ethical principles and societal benefit, marking a significant step toward a safe and beneficial future for AGI.

We live in a volatile geo-political environment. Still reeling from the far-reaching effects of the COVID-19 pandemic we have seen a Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, ultra-nationalist Bolsonaro supporters storming Brazil’s democratically elected congress, and Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. The direct implications of such developments on local people are self-evidently catastrophic, but it is also important to remember the fiscal dimension of socio-economic change on an international scale.

Gold prices have tumbled, oil and gas values have soared. Stocks and shares have fluctuated as companies have (quite rightly) reformed their approaches to hostile nations and the United States’ National Reserve has taken steps to prevent the potentially catastrophic collapse of the dollar. Contrary to popular expectation, market analysts have turned to cryptocurrencies to bridge conspicuous apertures in the accounts of those governments and businesses needing to trade across international borders.

Cryptocurrencies And Ethical Trading

It is interesting to reflect that in a recent Tweet in which he tagged meme currency enthusiast, Elon Musk, Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, invited Dogecoin (DOGE) donations to support his country’s resistance efforts. Of course, he also accepted other payment methods, determined to raise as much capital as possible to purchase armaments and train ground troops at this critical time, but his preference for cryptocurrency is an incredible endorsement for fiscal reform.

In the understandably approachable lexis of a high-profile politician and economist engaged with the needs and sentiments of a modern, liberal democracy, he announced to his followers that ‘@dogecoin exceeded Russian ruble in value’, and that, ‘now even meme can support our army and save lives from our invaders’. The message, it seems, was less to big business than to any individual with a crypto wallet. ‘Doge owners of the world, @elonmusk, @BillyM2k,’ he continued, ‘let’s do it’.

There is a sense that the Putin administration’s interference is more likely in the commodities market for natural gas, say, than in a cryptographic token such as Dogecoin (DOGE). Quite perceptibly, cryptocurrencies – and so-called ‘meme currencies’, more particularly – have assumed the associations with stability and neutrality commentators traditionally appended to raw and processed materials.

The more prominent role of cryptocurrencies in civic life is at once a catalyst for and a symptom of a more politically conscious electorate, re-energised by the undeniable sense of community and belonging social media provides. To say that it empowers people, that it brings otherwise demobilised individuals together in pursuit of common objectives, would by no means denote an exaggeration.

Changing Cultures, New Definitions Of Value

Dogecoin (DOGE) continues to increase in value. Such has been the scale of its growth that a number of competitors have emerged, seeking to emulate its growth. The ease with which these have been established has elicited scepticism, as well as unfavourable comparisons with ‘pump and dump’ schemes destined for bankruptcy, and understandably so. Fear of the new, the untried, the unfamiliar, is an age-old problem in our society, and there is always a tendency to assume the worst. The reality, however, is that the mechanisms for founding experimental assets has been democratised with the advent of new technologies and platforms, including crypto wallets, as has those for trading them.

The ease with which clients can buy and sell these currencies has rendered them unstoppable forces for change in the financial sector. Power is no longer concentrated in the hands of experienced brokers and traders but rather decentralised and distributed to the general population. People like Vladimir Putin no longer have such clear-cut sources of influence. As Shiba Inu (SHIB) skyrockets in value we must question our commodity- and currency-centric notions of ‘investment opportunities’, ‘secure investments’, and ‘the economy’, and take the plunge into a potentially lucrative unknown.

Seizing Our Piece Of The Next Big Thing

With Shiba Inu (SHIB) and Dogecoin (DOGE) tokens now highly valuable, it would be fair to describe them as good purchases. More exciting, though, is the newcomer on the crypto block, set to inject a certain feline refinement into a meme currency market increasingly saturated by dog mascots: that is, Big Eyes Coin (BIG). Community sits at the heart of everything this kawaii-cat-oriented currency does and they are keen to encourage cat lovers, anime enthusiasts, and avid video gamers from all walks of life to get behind their pre-launch campaign and call in the reign of institutionalised finance.

‘No Dogs, No Masters’ is the self-professed Big Eyes ethos. And with 80% of coins available to the community from opening day, it seems they are committed to following through on their promises. Over £17 million has been raised before the tokens have even gone to sale, and this number will only go up, so get in now and use code LAUNCHBIGEYES200 for a 200% bonus on your investment.

Big Eyes Coin (BIG)

Presale: https://buy.bigeyes.space/

Website: https://bigeyes.space/

Telegram: https://t.me/BIGEYESOFFICIAL

 

 

It’s completely legal for U.S Senators Cynthia Lummis and Pat Toomey to own Bitcoin or crypto-related investments. They just have to disclose it. Does this pose an ethical dilemma? Senators are on the frontlines of policymaking, and the rules around cryptocurrencies are still being written. On the other hand, it’s illogical to think that Senators can’t handle money or have investments. And that’s what cryptocurrencies are. Is there a conflict of interest here? Let’s argue.

As a basis, we’ll use and analyze this article, based on the “Wall Street Journal review of public financial disclosures.”

How Much Bitcoin Do Lummis And Toomey Have?

Senator Cynthia Lummis is on the frontlines of the battle for better legislation around Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in general. However, we’re centering our discussion around her and Pat Toomey because they’re literally the only Senators that disclosed crypto-related investments. An incredible stat that shows just how early we are. But enough about that, let’s go to the numbers.

Reportedly, Cynthia Lummis owns 5 whole BTC. Or, as the WSJ puts it:

“Ms. Lummis’s roughly $250,000 of bitcoin makes her the most heavily invested U.S. lawmaker in the digital asset.”

For his part, Pat Toomey went for Bitcoin and Ethereum exposure via Grayscale:

“In mid-June, Mr. Toomey bought $2,000 to $30,000 of stock in Grayscale Bitcoin Trust and Grayscale Ethereum Trust, investment vehicles that seek to track the coins’ prices. He said the holdings are part of a diverse portfolio.”

So far, so good. However…

What Ethical Concerns Are There?

Recently, via Instagram stories, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez revealed that she’s not exposed to cryptocurrencies in any way. “I don’t think members of Congress should own / trade individual stocks and I choose not to own any so that I can remain impartial in policymaking,” she said. And later added, “I want to do my job in the most ethical and impartial manner possible.” Does she have a point?

Back to the article, let’s quote Lee Reiners, “executive director of the Global Financial Markets Center at Duke University and a former official at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.”

“These two senators are the most vocal when it comes to favorable cryptocurrency regulation. It’s not to say they are motivated by personal financial interest, but it’s fair to question their advocacy. It’s problematic given their holdings.”

But, is it problematic, though? Let’s give the Senators the right to reply. 

BTC price chart for 12/21/2021 on Bitstamp | Source: BTC/USD on TradingView.com

How Do Lummis And Toomey Respond?

In a recent interview, Toomey said, “Following that logic, then I guess no one in the Senate can invest in anything. That would be ridiculous.” Plus, let’s remember, it’s completely legal for them to do so. In Lummis’ case, take into account that “her bitcoin is part of a broad portfolio that includes her family’s cattle ranches.” The WSJ quotes her:

“Somebody said, ‘She should sell her bitcoin.’ It’s like, well, OK, it’s a commodity. Should I also sell my cows? Should I sell my mutual funds? Should I sell my retirement fund, just because it might be invested in something that is a great store of value?”

There’s another factor, and this is crucial. The Senators also “say their experience with cryptocurrency gives them expertise on a subject that few on Capitol Hill have studied.” Can you understand Bitcoin if you’ve never used it? Don’t you need to be experienced in something to be able to make informed decisions? If all of the other Senators don’t have cryptocurrency exposure or any experience with this novel technology, how can they be trusted to dictate policy? 

It’s scary to think that the people deciding over what could become the new paradigm, the evolution of money, have never used the technology and solutions it provides. And that’s the other side of this debate.

Featured Image: jensjunge on Pixabay | Charts by TradingView