Featured
White House Sets The Most Unclear and Ambiguous AI Goal Yet

Notwithstanding the fact that America is a full two years behind China in terms of a national AI strategy, the Trump administration has now revealed that it is “leading many of those conversations” with “like-minded international allies” to help shepherd the direction of AI development and application across the globe.
Most of these conversations are reportedly happening within closed groups like the G7 and the G20, as well as U.N. organizations and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD.)
According to Dr. Lynne E. Parker, Assistant Director for AI in the Office of Science and Technology Policy:

“All of these activities are activities that we are deeply involved in, and again, we’re really promoting an international environment that’s supportive of American innovation, but certainly with a focus on AI that is trustworthy and that we are comfortable adopting.”
Possibly the most important point made by Parker at the National Academy of Public Administration’s Forum on Artificial Intelligence held in Washington was that the United States was not planning on introducing new “workstreams, programs or activities,” but merely going to try and guide the global AI narrative to a point where it is “consistent with our values, while also not being so scared of AI that we don’t even let anyone benefit from it because we are afraid that something might go wrong.”
She pointedly referred to a state-controlled system not being the ideal solution:
“…we don’t want to turn into an authoritarian state-like use of AI where we all feel like we have Big Brother looking over us at all times, that’s definitely not what liberal democracies want.”
Opinion
This move reeks of posturing. Even if the U.S. policy on AI is merely to act as a steward for AI development, where is the framework that they need as a guideline to do this? Several moral positions have been taken on the subject of AI ethics, but the U.S. government still doesn’t know what it wants.
Vague terminology that includes “leading the conversation”, “promoting an international environment” and “AI that is trustworthy and that we are comfortable adopting” does not indicate any sort of control over the narrative, which is what the White House’s position should be in the first place.
The United States is still one of the largest economies in the world with a GDP (PPP) upwards of $20 trillion. It must necessarily lead the pack in every aspect of AI, not just the conversations around where it’s headed. It already has some of the best AI schools and the biggest tech companies in the world willing and eager to contribute. What it does not have is the political will to dominate the AI space across research, development, testing, certification, and deployment.
Think about it: there’s no meaningful regulatory certification required for AI products other than standard software, security and communications protocols. Baby toys are under tight regulatory control because they can do harm, so why aren’t AI man-toys that are capable of destroying the earth not being regulated at the highest levels?
Meanwhile, China’s progress in AI is unimpeded by this sort of ambiguity that goes all the way up to the Commander-in-Chief. Granted, their moral compass might be a lot more flexible, allowing for the development of privacy-intrusive products and such, but their purpose and resolve to lead the AI game is much stronger than America’s, at least at this point in time.
What America needs is a clear vision (or a Presidency that has one) for the future of AI, which is obviously lacking. Are they simply trying to piggy-back on the efforts of other nations and take the credit by “leading the conversation”? That’s what Parker’s words make it sound like. In her own words:
“But that’s a conversation, right: where is the line?”
Indeed, where is it?
Blockchain
DeFi yield optimization protocol ETHA Lend closes $1.6M funding round


ETHA Lend, a yield optimizer protocol for DeFi, today announced it has closed a $1.6 million initial funding round from lead investors Digital Finance Group (DFG), AU21 Capital, and Privcode Capital.
Other investors include: Vector Capital, Chain Capital, PNYX Venture, Lancer Capital, Oasis Capital, TRG Capital, Candaq Capital, Dealean Capital, Inclusion Capital, Origin Capital, ZB Capital, YBB Foundation, AC Capital, Hotbit.
Designed to provide automated yield allocation across Ethereum and Polkadot DeFi ecosystems; ETHA Lend will be governed by ETHA token holders. The protocol’s algorithm is constructed to understand the precise circumstances of a liquidity provider and supply events; protecting users from high transaction costs, market limitations, and asset volatility.
“We are excited to have some of the most reputable names in the crypto investment and DeFi funding market on board. Our protocol hosts unique integrations of the DeFi space that shall let users dabble with yield farming with unseen simplicity, cross-chain independence, and progressive yield optimization opportunities. You can look forward to a time when the sector shall be free of the haunting tribalism and intimidations both for new and expert users.”
– Chester Bella, Founder of ETHA LEND
The close of this funding round will enable ETHA Lend to accelerate development towards its mainnet launch, currently scheduled for Q2 2021. ETHA Lend’s smart contracts are being inspected by Certik; one of the most highly reputed blockchain security auditors.
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Source: https://www.cryptoninjas.net/2021/03/04/defi-yield-optimization-protocol-etha-lend-closes-1-6m-funding-round/
Blockchain
John Locke And The Pursuit Of Bitcoin’s Decentralization

If John Locke’s life can be encapsulated in one word, it’s freedom.
By the time he died, in 1704, he had written a number of weighty books on the importance of liberty. The biggest threat to freedom, Locke wrote, came from coercive governments. Nearly four hundred years later, little has changed.
Though Locke had many an admirer, Thomas Hobbes wasn’t one of them. In fact, Hobbes’ sentiments were the antithesis of Locke’s. The Hobbesian philosophy, both simple and flawed, goes something like this: for humans to be truly happy, to be truly safe in a chaotic world, it’s best to let kings, queens, and political elites call the shots.
With the benefit of countless lessons from history, the Hobbesian philosophy now seems utterly naïve, not to mention dangerous. The idea of placing the welfare of millions of people in the hands of a king, queen, president, etc. is a preposterous one. Even the idea of a modern-day president seems so antiquated. In Joe Biden we trust doesn’t inspire much…well, trust. To be clear, this is not an attack on President Biden. Substitute Boris or Macron in and the well of trust still remains dangerously dry.
How can one person speak for millions – or in the case of the US, some 323 million – people? It’s impossible.
Of course, Hobbes could never have envisaged a day when the likes of Facebook and Google would (or could) control the public narrative.
Nevertheless, the Englishman lived in an age littered with capricious monarchies, many of whom ruled with an iron, blood-soaked fist. Both Ivan the Terrible and Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor wreaked havoc throughout the 16th century, around the very same time that Hobbes was born.
Back then, as well as having the power to mar at will, monarchies directly controlled the flow of finances. Although today’s monarchies are more ornamental in nature, financial control is still largely centralized. Powerful political figures still play a major role in who gets access to financial resources, with the power to refuse mortgage applications and shutdown bank accounts with the click of a button.
John Locke imagined a better world. Fiercely independent and passionately devoted to the idea of freedom, the philosopher and physician was very much an anti-Hobbesian. A hero of the decentralization movement centuries before the idea took hold, Locke was repulsed by tyrannies.
By placing so much power in the hands of one person, he warned, people were sacrificing their autonomy, their right to be truly free. Locke’s philosophy echoes that of BTC’s. After all, Satoshi created the digital cash system in order to remove third-party intermediaries from the picture. An intermediary is just another word for a referee, and as we all know, refs call the shots.
By removing the referee, Satoshi imagined a more equitable playing field. The philosophies of both Satoshi, very much a Lockean, and Locke, very much a Satoshian, sound simple; if applied globally, however, their results may very well restore power to the people.
From a Lockean perspective, human beings possess free will. We are, by our own very nature, free. As long as we abide by the laws of the land, any attempts to curtail this freedom are wholly unjust.
Such a philosophy might strike you as obvious, offensively so. Not so much a philosophy, more commonsense – like telling people to brush their teeth or to blink regularly. However, back in the 1600s, the idea of freedom from the rule was revolutionary. Locke’s philosophy was revelatory. Today, it’s important to remember that millions of people, from Tehran to Tipitapa, live under murderous regimes. Is it unreasonable to argue that the Brit’s philosophy is more important now than ever before?
Locke said, “Men being, as has been said, by nature, all free, equal and independent, no one can be put out of this estate, and subjected to the political power of another, without his own consent.”
This sentence can just as easily be applied to the world of traditional finance as it can to the world of politics. Why? Because the two are inextricably linked. Perhaps, at one time, you found yourself frozen out of your own financial “estate,” without warning, and maybe even without a reasonable explanation. Perhaps you are one of WallStreetBets investors who, just very recently, found your account locked by the ironically named Robinhood.
With a move to cryptocurrencies, greater degrees of autonomy are restored. We, not others, are in control of our estates. In the case of BTC, we literally have the key. As an “unequivocal defender of private property,” one assumes, if he were alive today, John Locke would also possess a key.
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The views expressed in the article are wholly those of the author and do not represent those of, nor should they be attributed to, ZyCrypto. This article is not meant to give financial advice. Please carry out your own research before investing in any of the various cryptocurrencies available.
Source: https://zycrypto.com/john-locke-and-the-pursuit-of-bitcoins-decentralization/
Blockchain
Creators of crypto wallet Exodus file with SEC for $75M public offering


Exodus Movement, Inc., a Delaware corporation and creator of the multi-asset crypto wallet software platform Exodos, on February 26th, 2021, publicly filed its preliminary Offering Circular for the potential sale of up to $75 million in Class A common stock to the public at a price of $27.42 a share.
Exodus intends to conduct the potential public offering of Class A common stock in the following transformative manner:
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Subscriptions for the shares of Class A common stock would be made through either the mobile or desktop versions of the Exodus Wallet. The Exodus Wallet is currently available for download on the Exodus website, the Apple iOS app store, and the Google Play store.
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Subscriptions for the shares would be paid for with Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and USD Coin (USDC).
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Within nine months after the qualification of the offering, Exodus anticipates that the shares would be represented by blockchain common stock tokens that would be held in the Exodus Wallet.
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Securitize, Inc., a Delaware corporation and registered transfer agent, would be the transfer agent for the shares of Class A common stock.
Founded on the values of empowerment, freedom, and transparency, Exodus has grown to serve over a million active users with its easy-to-use applications for desktop and mobile devices.
With an investment platform designed to issue shares of equity within the app, Exodus aims to facilitate the democratization of finance and extend beyond the old ICO token model, allowing users to become investors and actual owners of Exodus in a regulated manner.
“We believe traditional fundraising models are fundamentally broken and favor the privileged over the public. While raising money through Series A was an easy option, we decided to pursue a more inclusive route that enables anybody to invest directly in Exodus in keeping with our mission to provide an exit route to half of the population currently relying on traditional financial systems by 2030. Exodus has achieved success by making finance more user-friendly – our users can already easily store, send, receive or exchange crypto assets over the Exodus platform with the speed of centralized crypto exchanges without the risk or rules of third-party custody. Now we’re taking it a step further and really giving the control back to the user. Initial Coin Offerings have always left investors with no legal ownership and we’re ready to change that. By inviting everyone, not just accredited investors, to contribute to Exodus, we can drive the long-term growth of our mission.”
– JP Richardson, Co-Founder and CEO Exodus
The preliminary offering circular may be viewed on the SEC website. The preliminary Offering Circular is subject to the review and qualification of the SEC.
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