AI and Blockchain: Balancing Future Productivity and Production Relations

The rapid development of artificial intelligence technology may trigger the fifth technological revolution. As a representation of productivity, AI is expected to achieve general artificial intelligence within the next 20 years, greatly enhancing production efficiency. At the same time, blockchain technology, as a representation of new production relations, can provide the necessary constraints and regulations for the development of AI.

The birth of AI and blockchain technology occurred very closely in time. In 2007, Geoffrey Hinton published a paper that laid the foundation for deep learning; in 2008, Satoshi Nakamoto released the Bitcoin white paper, which pioneered blockchain technology. This temporal coincidence seems to foreshadow a close relationship between the two technologies in the future.

The decentralized nature of blockchain technology, along with features such as smart contracts and DAO governance, makes it a promising tool for regulating AI development. The decentralized ledger ensures openness and transparency of data, smart contracts enable an automated execution of contractual systems, and DAOs provide new organizational forms for human participation in AI governance.

From a historical perspective, the coordinated development of productive forces and production relations is crucial for social progress. The smooth unfolding of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century benefited from the gradual improvement of the commercial system over the previous two centuries. In contrast, China's policy of isolation during the Ming and Qing dynasties limited the development of production relations, leading to an increasing gap with the West.

Currently, we are in an era of rapid technological development but complex social relationships. The advancement of AI technology has brought significant improvements to productivity, but it has also raised numerous ethical and security concerns. In this context, how to establish production relations that adapt to the AI era has become an important issue that needs to be addressed urgently. The emergence of Blockchain technology provides us with new ideas, which may help to establish a new balance between AI and human society.