Welcome to the Decentralization Research Center report, a monthly briefing on events and research relevant to decentralization, DAOs and governance.

This Month’s Updates

Key Notes

This month has seen the publication of multiple compelling arguments for the democratic control of AI systems, including the release of The Digitalist Papers, a series of essays on the future of technology and governance.

Mozilla has also joined the discussion with its vision for Public AI, arguing that AI needs to be “rooted in the belief that everyone around the world — developers, policymakers, academics, civil society, companies, and the public — has an important role to play.”

And the UN’s report “Governing AI for Humanity,” highlights the need for equitable outcomes in AI governance: “Left ungoverned […], AI’s opportunities may not manifest or be distributed equitably. Widening digital divides could limit the benefits of AI to a handful of States, companies and individuals.”

Finally, as part of The Digitalist Papers, Divya Siddarth, Saffron Huang, and Audrey Tang present A Vision of Democratic AI and argue that democracy’s checks and balances are exactly what AI governance needs to ensure it operates for the public good.

In Web3 grants news, Metagov’s Grant Innovation Lab has released their State of Web3 Grants Report for 2024, providing research and insights into the current developments in Web3 grants, and tracking the increased size and sophistication of the Web3 grants ecosystem.

Tech Tools

Our friends at Holonym have been working on zero-knowledge KYC in their “Proof of Clean Hands” solution, designed to prevent bad actors from exploiting privacy protocols while maintaining the privacy of legitimate users.

And Vocdoni tackles remote voting in the age of cryptography by leveraging blockchain voting tools both across the Web3 space and into more traditional organizations, institutions, NGOs, and activist groups.

The Full Rundown

Other stories and research we’ve been tracking for you:

• A new paper argues for a path for science‑ and evidence‑based AI policy

• Interdisciplinary perspectives from industry and academia on risks, policy-relevant considerations and open research questions for how large language models affect humans’ ability to collectively tackle complex problems

• Gaël Varoquaux, Alexandra Sasha Luccioni, and Meredith Whittaker scrutinize the current scaling trends and trade-offs in AI and conclude that bigger isn’t always better
  

• Louisiana has become the first U.S. state to accept cryptocurrency for government services, three months after passing House Bill 488, which established legal protections for bitcoin users and miners

• Ben Notaris takes an inventive and entertaining look at how decentralized control in professional sports can enhance both outcomes and engagement:

  “Imagine a world where fans of an NFL team could vote on whether to go for it on fourth down, or basketball fans could decide when to implement a full-court press. This level of involvement could transform the sports viewing experience, making every fan feel genuinely involved.”
  

• Sandy Carter introduces DePIN, or Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks, and shows how they can allow for a new level of accuracy and granularity for weather reports using decentralized networks of enthusiasts.

• “Artificial Intelligence and Competition Policy” features 20 essays by leading scholars and practitioners exploring the wide range of questions bearing on the implications of AI for the competitive process

• Project Liberty’s Frank McCourt sits down with Politico to explore the future of technology in society and his ambitious plan to decentralize TikTok

Dr. Kelsie Nabben, an ethnographic researcher specializing in the social impacts of emerging technologies, joins us to discuss decentralization, computer aided ethnography, her research on distributed systems, Web 3’s Security Alliance and much more. You can listen here.

If you’re working on related research or would like to get involved in our work, please reach out to us via [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you!

Connor Spelliscy
Executive Director
Decentralization Research Center