In March 2018, The JBBA explored a question that reaches far beyond technology:
➡️ Anarchy or Utopia? What kind of society will we build?
Blockchain challenged us to rethink trust, institutions and how political and socioeconomic systems might be organised. It opened up possibilities for coordinating human activity, distributing power and exchanging value.
It also raised a harder question: How do we know whether the systems we build actually serve society?
Today, in the age of #AI, that question carries even greater urgency.
Our ability to build powerful technologies can outpace our understanding of their consequences. Capabilities advance. Expectations rise. Yet promises of efficiency, transparency and empowerment still need to be tested against outcomes.
Who benefits? Who bears the risks? What happens to accountability? And what evidence would persuade us to change course?
An evidence-based approach means being open to innovation while remaining alert to overpromises, unintended consequences and harm. It means giving promising ideas room to develop, and subjecting ambitious claims to rigorous scrutiny.
For blockchain and AI alike, technical capability is only part of the story. Institutions, incentives, governance and human choices shape what these technologies become.
The future deserves both our imagination and our scrutiny.
The challenge before us is to turn technological possibility into demonstrable public benefit: stronger institutions, meaningful agency and systems worthy of the trust we place in them.
The question from 2018 remains open.
What kind of society are we building? and what evidence will show that we are moving in the right direction?
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The British Blockchain Association
#Blockchain #AI #EvidenceBasedBlockchain #JBBA