Blockchain and Distributed/Collective Intelligence

by | Feb 15, 2018 | Integrated Capital, Social Innovation, sustainable agriculture

For the intellectually curious, reading about the vast potential of the distributed ledger technology, blockchain is irresistible, with numerous applications ranging across all industries.

I admit to obsessively reading everything I can about this emerging area.   So many blocks to solving complicated problems across society can be addressed by intelligent use of new scientific and technical tools like these.  Blockchain greatly accelerates the ongoing trend of more, decentralized, collaborative, and collective intelligence.  That all by itself is truly revolutionary.

This particular article about a new project using blockchain to accelerate the research of blockchain is very interesting to me.  I have thought often of the need for more open-source research across many diverse areas.  This particular article addresses the blockchain specifically but I see no reason why we could not tailor these tools to address any research area such as new energy technologies, new funding models for research or business, or other scientific research areas such as the microbiome, genetic engineering, stem cell research, anti-aging research, nutritional research, agricultural research, and on and on it goes.  Big funding for research in many of these areas is still very top down, clustered in certain geographies across the world, with big elite investors, corporations, and research institutions the ones with the early opportunities to shape and steer research and new technology development.  I realize there are still many obstacles such as how to organize these groups, how to address patent issues, etc, but the potential is far too great with explosive innovation and creativity possible.  Welcome to the future.  It does not seem very prudent to stay in our elite ivory towers as the democratization of collective information gathering and sharing is here to stay.  The world is so divided today, but here is one very important and natural way to begin to bring disparate groups together in a healthy way.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-crypto-currencies/mosaic-network-will-reward-researchers-with-its-own-cryptocurrency-idUSKCN1FY2VD?feedType=RSS&feedName=technologyNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FtechnologyNews+%28Reuters+Technology+News%29&utm_source=MIT+Technology+Review&utm_campaign=2cf52a759b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_02_14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_997ed6f472-2cf52a759b-156734309