In AI’s Data Divide, Blockchain Finally Empowers the Have-Nots

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For far too long, we’ve all been data have-nots. Our personal information has been hoarded in silos, owned by corporations and sold to the highest bidder.

As we transition into the artificial intelligence (AI) age, this problem is not only persisting but intensifying.

LLMs (large language models) are now learning from our data without compensating or even acknowledging the rightful owners.

If data is indeed ‘the new oil,’ then we all deserve to tap into our reserves and share in its value.

Blockchain offers a solution by ensuring transparency, fair compensation and immutable traceability.

This approach effectively tackles some of AI’s most pressing challenges related to data privacy, accessibility and copyright.

By solving the data ingestion problem, blockchain protocols and platforms promise ethical evolution while ensuring we all get our fair share of the AI pie.

The state of play in AI

AI’s come a long way in a short time. But almost two years after the much-hyped debut of mainstream generative AI, there’s already a data shortage on the horizon.

Research indicates a growing mismatch between the availability of training data and the rapid advancement of computing power.

This imbalance suggests that leading language models could exhaust their supply of fresh, high-quality data as soon as 2026.

Despite an insatiable appetite, new and novel data sources are proving harder to come by, especially as critics question the information’s provenance and privacy.

Data is therefore in great demand, evolving beyond mere fuel for innovation into a new asset class poised to generate trillions of dollars in value over the coming years.

The next frontier is to harvest the unharvested and integrate workplace and personal information at scale while maintaining compliance.

Unlocking these information reserves represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity that blockchain can spearhead and in which users can – and should – share.

From data silos to shared successes

Blockchain offers a compelling solution to AI’s data dilemma.

Various protocols and platforms not only register and track information on-chain but also bring users into the data economy from the ground up.

Take Sahara AI. The startup – which raised more than $40 million in August 2024 – incentivizes the users, data sources and AI trainers crucial to the technology’s success.

Unlike other players, the company rewards rather than ignores…