Internet Computer (ICP) Explores How the World Computer Is Building the Next Era of Scalable, Onchain AI

In this exclusive Cryptonomist interview, DFINITY explores how the Internet Computer (ICP) is building the World Computer, ushering in a new era of scalable

In a world increasingly reliant on artificial intelligence (AI), the question of data privacy, security, and control has never been more pressing. As AI technologies rapidly advance and integrate into various aspects of our lives, there's a growing concern over the potential misuse of personal data by centralized entities.

This interview with DFINITY highlights how the Internet Computer (ICP) is tackling this challenge head-on. By combining the tamper-proof nature of smart contracts with the intelligent capabilities of AI models, DFINITY envisions a future where AI-powered applications provide a seamless and engaging user experience, much like familiar Web2 applications, but with the added benefits of decentralization.

The interview also delves into the unique aspects of combining AI with blockchain technology. Autonomous agents and smart services, a key focus of Web3, can benefit significantly from the synergy of AI and blockchain. These agents can manage DeFi portfolios or automate DAO governance processes based on real-time data and behavior.

Furthermore, AI models can support personalization in decentralized apps by analyzing preferences and behavior to deliver tailored content. This lack of personalization has been a weakness of Web3 compared to Web2, but it's an area where AI can make a huge difference.

Overall, this interview provides valuable insights into the potential of decentralized AI to transform industries and improve user experiences while respecting data privacy and sovereignty. It's a topic that will continue to be discussed and developed in the coming years.output: In this exclusive Cryptonomist interview, DFINITY explores how the Internet Computer (ICP) is building the World Computer, ushering in a new era of scalable, onchain AI, data sovereignty, and Web3 interoperability.

1. Can you explain the concept of the “World Computer” on ICP and how it differs from other blockchain-based platforms in terms of accessibility, scalability, and sovereignty?

The Internet Computer hosts secure compute at scale, but with the World Computer, we aim to further bind together different decentralized networks, creating unprecedented accessibility, scalability, and data sovereignty. In terms of accessibility, apps are hosted fully onchain and accessible through standard URLs, creating a seamless user experience, similar to familiar web2 apps. Canister smart contracts are not as limiting as traditional smart contracts, enabling new levels of scalability – storing large datasets and rapidly processing requests. Due to all nodes running independently, and with no centralized party controlling the network, the World Computer built on ICP enables total user data sovereignty.

2. What are the main challenges in building a fully onchain system that can match the scalability and user experience of Web2 applications? How is ICP addressing these challenges?

The typical challenges of building an onchain network that we have noticed include scalability, user experience, and data and compute limitations.

ICP addresses these challenges by using canister smart contracts, enabling larger data storage than traditional smart contracts; also storing everything onchain with no external cloud server hosting the data. ICP does not build on web2 infrastructure like AWS, we are building the internet stack itself enabling the web2 experience to perform entirely onchain – ensuring a comfortable user experience, similar to web2 but with enhanced security.

3. The integration of AI models on smart contracts is a unique approach. How does DFINITY ensure the security and tamperproof nature of these AI models while maintaining scalability?

ICP’s AI model deployment takes place entirely onchain, and the model’s logic is immutable unless designed to be upgradeable. That means that all data inputs and outputs are transparent, ensuring that the model cannot be tampered with without detection. This aids in preventing any malicious behaviour from taking place.

Each canister exists and runs in a sandbox environment, thus they are isolated from other parts of the system, meaning that any incidents will be contained. Orthogonal persistence also allows canisters to maintain their state no matter the conditions, allowing AI services to run without needing to reload or reinitialize after every interaction.

4. Can you share some practical use cases where ICP’s onchain AI models could significantly impact industries or user experiences?

ICP’s onchain AI models enable highly secure and transparent decentralized applications that have the potential to transform user experiences across industries – from healthcare, to financial services and education. AI can offer fraud detection, verify authenticity and traceability in supply chains, and even create personalised tutors. Due to their nature as smart contracts, AI agents built on ICP do not rely on intermediary centralized systems, ensuring tamperproof and verifiable outputs – boosting reliability, and ensuring open access and data sovereignty.

In terms of a product using AI onchain that we are very excited about, ICP will soon launch a platform called Caffeine. This is our proprietary AI app building tool that will enable a complete paradigm shift towards the ‘self-writing internet’. Using natural-language prompts in a seamless user interface, Caffeine will allow anyone, anywhere, to build, deploy and update any app they desire, without the need for complex coding knowledge or expensive technical equipment. This is truly the next step in making