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A New Era Of Trusted Payments

If you read my last post, you may have had the same reaction as the legendary fintech blogger Chris Skinner. On the blog entitled “Fintechs New Power Couple: AI and Trust, he politely corrected, ” AI, trust and DLT sir” as a comment on my post.

As soon as I read his input I knew he was right. I had to write a follow up post, to correct my glaring omission. As there are three forces converging here rather than two, I will update the title to make it both more contemporary, and more accurate at the same time…

Fintech’s New Power Throuple is the convergence of AI, Trust, and Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT).

If I drew a diagram of the relationships between the three different factors I would put it in the form of a triangle. From my viewpoint Trust would hold the uppermost position, with Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence occupying the two lower positions.

They are kind of the technology layer that makes that makes Trust possible.

As Trust isn’t a technology — or is it? 🤔

(https://fintechconfidential-newsletter.beehiiv.com/p/m2020-a…-payments)

Continue reading “A New Era Of Trusted Payments” | >

AGI: will it kill us or save us?

Artificial general intelligence (AGI) could be humanity’s greatest invention… or our biggest risk.

In this episode of TechFirst, I talk with Dr. Ben Goertzel, CEO and founder of SingularityNET, about the future of AGI, the possibility of superintelligence, and what happens when machines think beyond human programming.

We cover:
• Is AGI inevitable? How soon will it arrive?
• Will AGI kill us … or save us?
• Why decentralization and blockchain could make AGI safer.
• How large language models (LLMs) fit into the path toward AGI
• The risks of an AGI arms race between the U.S. and China.
• Why Ben Goertzel created Meta, a new AGI programming language.

📌 Topics include AI safety, decentralized AI, blockchain for AI, LLMs, reasoning engines, superintelligence timelines, and the role of governments and corporations in shaping the future of AI.

⏱️ Chapters.

00:00 – Intro: Will AGI kill us or save us?

Continue reading “AGI: will it kill us or save us?” | >

ASI Risks: Similar premises, opposite conclusions | Eliezer Yudkowsky vs Mark Miller

A debate/discussion on ASI (artificial superintelligence) between Foresight Senior Fellow Mark S. Miller and MIRI founder Eliezer Yudkowsky. Sharing similar long-term goals, they nevertheless reach opposite conclusions on best strategy.

“What are the best strategies for addressing risks from artificial superintelligence? In this 4-hour conversation, Eliezer Yudkowsky and Mark Miller discuss their cruxes for disagreement. While Eliezer advocates an international treaty that bans anyone from building it, Mark argues that such a pause would make an ASI singleton more likely – which he sees as the greatest danger.”

What are the best strategies for addressing extreme risks from artificial superintelligence? In this 4-hour conversation, decision theorist Eliezer Yudkowsky and computer scientist Mark Miller discuss their cruxes for disagreement.

They examine the future of AI, existential risk, and whether alignment is even possible. Topics include AI risk scenarios, coalition dynamics, secure systems like seL4, hardware exploits like Rowhammer, molecular engineering with AlphaFold, and historical analogies like nuclear arms control. They explore superintelligence governance, multipolar vs singleton futures, and the philosophical challenges of trust, verification, and control in a post-AGI world.

Moderated by Christine Peterson, the discussion seeks the least risky strategy for reaching a preferred state amid superintelligent AI risks. Yudkowsky warns of catastrophic outcomes if AGI is not controlled, while Miller advocates decentralizing power and preserving human institutions as AI evolves.

Continue reading “ASI Risks: Similar premises, opposite conclusions | Eliezer Yudkowsky vs Mark Miller” | >

Malicious npm Packages Exploit Ethereum Smart Contracts to Target Crypto Developers

Cybersecurity researchers have discovered two new malicious packages on the npm registry that make use of smart contracts for the Ethereum blockchain to carry out malicious actions on compromised systems, signaling the trend of threat actors constantly on the lookout for new ways to distribute malware and fly under the radar.

“The two npm packages abused smart contracts to conceal malicious commands that installed downloader malware on compromised systems,” ReversingLabs researcher Lucija Valentić said in a report shared with The Hacker News.

Researchers Demonstrate QuantumShield-BC Blockchain Framework

Researchers have developed QuantumShield-BC, a blockchain framework designed to resist attacks from quantum computers by integrating post-quantum cryptography (PQC) utilising algorithms such as Dilithium and SPHINCS+, quantum key distribution (QKD), and quantum Byzantine fault tolerance (Q-BFT) leveraging quantum random number generation (QRNG) for unbiased leader selection. The framework was tested on a controlled testbed with up to 100 nodes, demonstrating resistance to simulated quantum attacks and achieving fairness through QRNG-based consensus. An ablation study confirmed the contribution of each quantum component to overall security, although the QKD implementation was simulated and scalability to larger networks requires further investigation.

Abacus dark web drug market goes offline in suspected exit scam

Abacus Market, the largest Western darknet marketplace supporting Bitcoin payments, has shut down its public infrastructure in a move suspected to be an exit scam.

Exit scams occur when the operator of a marketplace decides to vanish with the money they hold in escrow for various transactions between platform users.

Blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs reports that Abacus shutting down so abruptly has all the indications of either an exit scam or a covert law enforcement operation dismantling the activity.

From Blockchain to Brainwaves: Coinbase Co-Founder Fred Ehrsam Enters the Neurotech Race with Non-Invasive BCI Startup Nudge

Fred Ehrsam, billionaire co-founder of Coinbase, is shifting his next big bet from cryptocurrency to the human brain, unveiling a non-invasive brain-computer interface designed to modulate brain activity with sound waves.

Ehrsam’s entry as the latest competitor to join the race to develop accessible brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) follows similar recent efforts from tech leaders like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Bill Gates.

On April 8, Ehrsam’s startup, Nudge, unveiled its first product, the Nudge Zero. A noninvasive brain interface device that uses ultrasound to modulate brain activity, the technology represents the first start-up venture to pursue this unique approach with BCI technology.

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