The chapter explores the potential of technology, including AI, in the context of geopolitical implications and governance models. It examines the dual nature of AI as both a tool of progress and a potential danger, discussing the dystopian possibilities and concerns around surveillance and control. The chapter also raises questions about the balance between civil liberties and crime prediction, as well as the rise of private sector dominance in computational power.
Is software eating the nation state? Technologies like crypto and AI are about to fundamentally restructure society from the bottom up. We brought economist and writer, Sam Hammond on to predict how society will be reorganized under this new paradigm and how those in power will respond.
Sam Hammond is an economist for the Foundation for American Innovation, a think tank advising policies in DC whose slogan reads, “Build Tech. Promote Freedom.” Freedom and Tech. We like those two things on Bankless - and we're also concerned with the project of how to protect them in a world where software starts to eat the nation state (and the nation state feels threatened).
0:00 Intro 6:48 Sam’s Take on Crypto 9:50 Nation State’s Hate on Crypto 14:53 Post-Printing Press 20:55 Crypto, AI, & The Internet 25:40 Tech Good, Bad, or Neutral? 32:03 Bracing For Impact & Tech Debt 38:15 Nation State Competition 46:39 Dangerous Tech 50:00 The Network State 1:04:55 AI Executive Order 1:12:28 China’s AI Approach 1:15:20 AI’s Double Edged Sword 1:33:45 AI & The Leviathan 1:48:23 What Technology Winning Means? 1:50:58 Closing & Disclaimers