In this episode of Crazy Wisdom, Stewart Alsop talks with Cathal, founder of Poliebotics and creator of the “truth beam” system, about proof of liveness technology, blockchain-based verification, projector-camera feedback loops, physics-based cryptography, and how these tools could counter deepfakes and secure biodiversity data. They explore applications ranging from conservation monitoring on Cathal’s island in Ireland to robot-assisted farming, as well as the intersection of nature, humanity, and AI. Cathal also shares thoughts on open-source tools like Jitsi and Element, and the cultural shifts emerging from AI-driven creativity. Find more about his work and Poliebotics in Github and Twitter.
Check out this GPT we trained on the conversation
Timestamps
00:00 Stewart Alsop introduces Cathal, starting with proof of liveness vs proof of aliveness and deepfake challenges.
05:00 Cathal explains projector-camera feedback loops, Perlin noise, cryptographic hashing, blockchain timestamps via Rootstock.
10:00 Discussion on using multiple blockchains for timestamps, physics-based timing, and recording verification.
15:00 Early Bitcoin days, cypherpunk culture, deterministic vs probabilistic systems.
20:00 Projector emissions, autoencoders, six-channel matrix data type, training discriminators.
25:00 Decentralized verification, truth beams, building trust networks without blockchain.
30:00 Optical interlinks, testing computational nature of reality, simulation ideas.
35:00 Dystopia vs optimism, AI offense in cybersecurity, reputation networks.
40:00 Reality transform, projecting AI into reality, creative agents, philosophical implications.
45:00 Conservation applications, biodiversity monitoring, insect assays, cryptographically secured data.
50:00 Optical cryptography, analog feedback loops, quantum resistance.
55:00 Open source tools, Jitsi, Element, cultural speciation, robot-assisted farming, nature-human-AI coexistence.
Key Insights
- Cathal’s “proof of liveness” aims to authenticate real-time video by projecting cryptographically generated patterns onto a subject and capturing them with synchronized cameras, making it extremely difficult for deepfakes or pre-recorded footage to pass as live content.
- The system uses blockchain timestamps—currently via Rootstock, a Bitcoin sidechain running the Ethereum Virtual Machine—to anchor these projections in a decentralized, physics-based timeline, ensuring verification doesn’t depend on trusting a single authority.
- A distinctive six-channel matrix data type, created by combining projector and camera outputs, is used to train neural network discriminators that determine whether a recording and projection genuinely match, allowing for scalable automated verification.
- Cathal envisions “truth beams” as portable, collaborative verification devices that could build decentralized trust networks and even operate without blockchains once enough verified connections exist.
- Beyond combating misinformation, the same projector-camera systems could serve conservation efforts—recording biodiversity data, securing it cryptographically, and supporting projects like insect population monitoring and bird song analysis on Cathal’s island in Ireland.
- Cathal is also exploring “reality transform” technology, which uses projection and AI to overlay generated imagery onto real-world objects or people in real time, raising possibilities for artistic expression, immersive experiences, and creative AI-human interaction.
- Open-source philosophy underpins his approach, favoring tools like Jitsi for secure video communication and advocating community-driven development to prevent centralized control over truth verification systems, while also exploring broader societal shifts like cultural speciation and cooperative AI-human-nature systems.
