Leveraging Blockchain for Ethical AI: Mitigating Digital Threats and Strengthening Societal Resilience
IEEE Finland Blockchain Group
Sergii GrybniakPlease share the slides with the audience: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1RsF8N1hUS1UQQeq6ibQRP69Ds5e2n8tzh7gdJEJm_fU/edit?usp=sharing
https://www.linkedin.com/company/norta-desyco/
Key Ideas:
- Published Research: Co-authored with Stefan Crass and Austrian Blockchain Center team in peer-reviewed journal
- Central Thesis: "Ethical AI is not possible without blockchain integration"
- Problem Statement:
- AI has dual use: can both mitigate and enable exploitation
- Current AI issues: Bias, discrimination, massive privacy violations, lack of transparency, abuse in sensitive domains
- AI models currently "just flat out lie" and have "horrible bias"
- Training large language models involved massive privacy violations
- Role of Blockchain:
- Immutable traceability for transparent record management
- DAOs for decentralized governance
- Smart contracts for verifiable logic
- Zero-knowledge proofs and homomorphic encryption for privacy preservation
- Provides "trust engine" for citizens to open up to systems
- Extortion Use Case (2020+):
- Problem exploded during COVID lockdowns
- Young people sending explicit material, then being extorted
- Led to tragic consequences including suicides
- Framework applicable to any digital threat: drugs, domestic violence, workplace violence
- Three Implementation Layers:
- Technical Enablement: AI infused with blockchain integration
- Governance Alignment: Ethical principles, DAO oversight, continuous monitoring with human escalation committees
- Implementation: Federated learning, data wallets, smart contracts, contextual knowledge proofs
- Benefits:
- Trustable and auditable AI decision-making
- Stronger privacy and consent protection
- Resilience against abuse and manipulation
- Cross-institutional governance through DAOs
- Challenges:
- Technical: Scalability, latency, energy usage
- Governance: Need clear rules and human oversight
- Legal: Fragmented jurisdictions (GDPR, EU AI Act, extortion laws vary widely)
- Social: Need trust and awareness for adoption
- Policy Recommendations:
- Privacy-preserving AI with zero-knowledge proofs
- Mandate audit trails for sensitive AI deployments
- Make AI reasoning steps traceable and locked on-chain
- Co-creation with NGOs, regulators, and survivors
- Future Work:
- Prototype development (technical report on arXiv about extortion mitigation DAO)
- Cross-border pilots to address legal fragmentation
- Expand to other domains: disinformation, healthcare data misuse, cyber-bullying, drug addiction
- Interdisciplinary collaboration essential
- Digital Sovereignty: Framework can be applied beyond extortion to any situation requiring trust, privacy, and resilience in AI systems
We're thrilled to present another distinguished speaker joining the IEEE 2nd Ukrainian DLT Forum: REBUIDL: Dr. Alex Norta, Senior Member of IEEE and researcher at the forefront of blockchain innovation.
Dr. Alex Norta will deliver insights on blockchain research and enterprise applications, leveraging his extensive academic and entrepreneurial background. With a Ph.D. in Information Systems from Eindhoven University of Technology and years of experience as Associate Professor at Tallinn University of Technology, he brings a unique blend of rigorous research methodology and practical implementation expertise to the blockchain space.
As a member of the IEEE Finland Blockchain Group and a scientist working on Estonian Web3 research projects for the creative media domain, Dr. Norta has been at the cutting edge of blockchain technology development. His work spans secure programming, smart contract systems, and decentralized applications, while also pursuing entrepreneurial ventures in the blockchain startup ecosystem. His research contributions have been recognized internationally, and he maintains affiliations with institutions including the University of Pretoria's Department of Informatics.
His presentation will provide valuable academic and practical perspectives on blockchain technology's evolution, the intersection of research and industry applications, and the future of Web3 systems — drawing from his experience across European and international blockchain initiatives.