Ed3 Weekly Issue #118: The AI-to-Blockchain Alley-Oop
It is time to begin building blockchain enabled AI systems
Hello Ed3 Community,
I often use musical analogies in my weekly newsletters, but sometimes a good sports analogy does the trick too.
This week, I'd like to revisit how blockchain and AI can collaborate to enhance data privacy and ownership. I discussed this in Issue #113: Digital Love, featuring Nate Holiday's article, “The Future Is Intertwined for Web3 and AI.”
Here's the sports analogy: In the early 2000s, the Los Angeles Lakers had two of the greatest basketball players of all time: Kobe and Shaq. Initially, their relationship was rocky, with Shaq (blockchain) wary of the new kid on the block, Kobe (AI), getting all the attention.
Instead of working together, they tried to prove their worth independently. This changed when coach Phil Jackson implemented his triangle offense, bringing them together and leveraging their skills for the team's benefit.
This culminated in a famous alley-oop play from Kobe to Shaq in the Western Conference Finals. Kobe drove to the basket, drawing all the attention, leaving Shaq wide open for an above-the-rim pass that he grabbed mid-air and slammed through the hoop.
The analogy is clear: Like Shaq, blockchain is the immovable force revolutionizing the data game. But on its own, there are limitations. Similarly, Kobe, like AI, has changed the game with nifty tricks and impressive moves but lacks substance and purpose on its own. Together, they work best, combining the finesse and versatility of Kobe/AI with the dominance and defense of Shaq/blockchain to create an unstoppable force.
This week’s deep dive explores this idea in more detail with an article about how blockchain could help combat AI misinformation. For background on why this is an issue, read an article about the collapse of an education chatbot and its impact on student data.
This week’s issue also features an interview with Matthew Ball about the state of the metaverse and an article about the state of web3 and education in South America.
Don’t forget to check out the podcast where I reflect on the week’s resources.
📰 Featured Articles:
Check out the resources linked below to delve deeper into the topics covered in this issue. Each resource is categorized by crypto, blockchain, and AI.
🤖 Al News
An Education Chatbot Company Collapsed. Where Did the Student Data Go?
Image by Thomas Bethge / Shutterstock
🔗 The sudden shelving of an ambitious AI chatbot at Los Angeles Unified School District highlights a key challenge for AI projects: corralling data.
🥽 AR/VR News
Metaverse expert Matthew Ball still believes in the 3D internet
Photo illustration by The Verge / Photo by Matthew Ball
🔗 The author of ‘The Metaverse’ discusses the new update to his 2022 book and how the Apple Vision Pro and AI fit into the spatial internet.
⛓️ Web3 News
BingX Charity Empowers Argentinians with Web3 Education
Image by Cointrust
🔗 BingX Charity, the philanthropic branch of the global cryptocurrency exchange BingX, has initiated a social program to equip Argentinians with web3 education.
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🤿 Weekly Deep Dive
Study says blockchain could help combat AI misinformation
This week's deep dive is an article from the University of Oregon (Go Ducks!!!) about a recent study on how AI and blockchain can collaborate to address data privacy and attribution issues. This is a significant topic I've been discussing throughout the summer, especially given the massive AI boom in education.
The study, conducted by a group of University of Oregon graduate students, explores "the intersection of accounting technology and how blockchain could help address some of the more concerning areas of AI."
They identify four major concerns for AI:
AI Toxicity, Biases, and Hallucinations
AI Interest Misalignment
Black Box Nature of AI
AI Misuse
The article concludes that blockchain can help ensure the responsible evolution of AI through collaboration among businesses, developers, and regulatory bodies. I highly recommend checking out this research to see how young researchers are leading the way in exploring the potential of AI and blockchain working together to address these critical issues.
Thank you for stopping by for another issue of my newsletter on emerging technology in education. Link to all my work by checking out my website or give me a follow on the X platform. I also launched a supplemental podcast for each issue, listen on Spotify here.