A new Ethereum blockchain platform is designed to let humans and artificial intelligence (AI) “pilot” robots. The same solution, Aitheon will also enable businesses and individuals to utilize the services of digital robots and artificial intelligence.
Automobiles and even automated stores can be operated through the Aitheon blockchain. Interestingly, Aitheon’s technology already exists and is up and running in the real world.
Visitors to the North American Bitcoin Conference in Miami on January 18 and 19 were able to drink beer poured by an Aitheon “Mechbot” and inspect a remote-piloted Jeep Rubicon SUV. The Aitheon Rubicon even drove the Rubicon trail, a 22 mile long off-road course in Northern California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains under blockchain control.
AI and Robots can Create Jobs
Surprisingly, Aitheon’s founder and CEO Andrew Archer believe that his company’s creations can create jobs.
“Most of the industries in the entire world are based around robotics,” Archer said. “We are entering the era where robots create jobs.”
Archer; who has been working with robots since he was 12, believes that robots are here and creating jobs. He noted that smartphones, which most of us carry in our pockets, are a kind of “robot.”
“People deal with robots every day,” Archer said. “The robots have created additional jobs as well.”
Despite that Archer admits robots will take jobs. He wants to fix that by creating new jobs with robots and artificial intelligence.
“We’re essentially retooling the workforce,” Archer said. “These workers can become specialists and pilots. There’s different ways humans can work with this technology.”
Aitheon shows How AI can Create Jobs
The Aitheon platform would enable people to become “pilots” remote robot operators that work through the blockchain.
The pilots would guide robots to perform tasks too complex for programs or AI to perform. Aitheon pilots would be able to operate robots all over the world. A major task of the pilots would be operating or overseeing the operation of autonomous vehicles.
“The pilot can link in and take control of the robot and guide it,” Archer revealed. “Everything is distributed. A pool of workers is available to take over when the AI or robot fails.”
Mint ERC20 Tokens by Solving Problems on the Blockchain
Another position would be that of specialist, persons with specific skills who step in and perform tasks AI cannot. An example of a specialist might be an accountant that takes care of tax problems an accounting AI cannot understand.
A third job made possible by Aitheon AI would be that of creators. The creators are people who design or create Digibots and other solutions for the Aitheon blockchain. The creators would then sell the Digibots’ services through the blockchain.
Interestingly enough, Aitheon creators, specialists, and pilots would mine the utility token they are created with AIC, whenever they used the platform. They would receive their pay in the ERC20-based AIC and companies would pay for services in AIC. The creators would mint tokens by solving problems on the Aitheon blockchain.
An AIC presale started on January 19 and is scheduled to run through January 31, 2018. Aitheon will probably announce the date of an AIC token generation event in March.
Persons that participate in the AIC presale will get a sneak preview of the Aitheon platform and all the solutions available through it, Aitheon Chief Strategy Officer Ryan Burleson revealed.
Blockchain Driven Jeep Drives Rubicon Trail
“Will be able to traverse difficult terrains,” Burleson said. “(We) put the vehicle through the Rubicon trail one of the hardest off-road trails.”
“Everything performed great until we actually broke the steering box of the vehicle,” Burleson said. The Rubicon trail drive was a test of a driverless system that Aitheon and an unidentified company are planning to deploy in the real world.
Burleson and Archer said they were unable to reveal that company’s identity because of a nondisclosure agreement (NDA). Aitheon is negotiating for the deployment of its technology in several industries including logistics, retail, and materials handling.
“We are in the midst of signing an agreement for a driverless system,” Burleson said. Other projects that Aitheon is considering are automated stores and restaurants and solutions for the parking industry.
Using AI and Robots to Fight Technological Employment
The Aitheon blockchain is designed to counter the problems of technological unemployment and Luddites. Archer was inspired to create while observing the reaction of auto workers to industrial robots in car factories after the 2008 economic meltdown.
“One issue we ran into a long time ago was the workers would attack the robots,” Archer said. “People do not like robots.”
Observing the clashes over factory robots convinced Archer that a means of creating jobs with robots and AI was needed. He even thinks systems like Aitheon’s would make Basic Income and robot taxes unnecessary.
It is hard to see how such systems would benefit all workers. Only those with the education, and creativity to understand and take advantage of AI would profit from it. Mechanisms to help those who lack the intelligence, courage, and discipline to become pilots or specialists will be needed.
Human-Robot Symbiosis Planned
“We need to find that middle ground where humans enjoy working with robots,” Archer said. He calls that middle ground “symbiosis” and believes that Aitheon’s blockchain platform can achieve it.
“The idea of human-robot symbiosis is that both humans and robots have a place and that place is together,” Archer said. He did not mention it, but artificial intelligence would take part in the symbiosis as well.
“We’re going into an era where the average person’s job will be replaced,” Archer predicted. He believes that future does not have to be gloomy or violent. Instead, he has a utopian vision of symbiosis.
“There’s different ways humans can work with this technology,” Archer said. “The people will have a greater satisfaction if we can get rid of the drudgery from the jobs.”
How Human-Robot Symbiosis can Create Jobs
More importantly, Archer believes that such a symbiosis can create large numbers of new jobs.
“We are entering the era where robots create jobs,” Archer said. He pointed out that robots are already creating large numbers of new jobs. “Most of the industries in the entire world are based around robotics.”
The Aitheon platform will enable America’s largest pool of job creators; small businesses, to take advantage of robotics and artificial intelligence, Burleson predicted.
Small businesses account for 99.7% of U.S employer firms and 64% of the new private sector jobs in the country, according to the Small Business Administration. Small firms generate 42.9% of the private payroll, 46% of private sector output, 33% of the export output value, and 98% of the businesses exporting goods in the United States.
Therefore, a system like Aitheon’s has the potential to trigger lots of new economic growth if used properly. Investors should not that such growth will probably take years to develop and it is not guaranteed.
Bringing AI and Robots to Small Business
“The individual small business is being left out,” Burleson said of the ongoing AI and robotics revolutions. He noted that most of the artificial-intelligence solutions and robots on the market can only be afforded by big business.
“They’re going to be able to use the tools that have only been available to big business,” Burleson said of small firms. Using Aitheon’s blockchain platform a local plumbing firm or hairdresser would be able to utilize a digital robot or digibot to handle such chores as accounting and payments, Burleson said.
“A digibot is a digital representative of robots,” Burleson explained. The digibot would be able to perform back-office functions such as payment processing, or operate robots called Mechbots in the real world.
”A digibot would be an accounting robot that takes care of your accounting through the Aitheon platform, Burleson said. Human AI specialists would step in and help whenever the Digibots ran into problems they could not handle.
An assortment of digibots including bookkeepers, receptionists, parking garage managers, and accountants are planned. The Aitheon website describes the Digibots as virtual robots that operate in the Aitheon ecosystem and automate business processes. An Aitheon whitepaper even claims that its AI will be able to send emails to clients.
Aitheon also plans to market Mechbots, robots designed to work with Digibots to small business. Another way that small business can profit from Aitheon is to create new robots. Businesses can even use Mechbots at other locations for chores such as manufacturing or parts fabrication.
“They’ll be able to create their own robots or use robots on the system,” Archer said of small business.
Going Beyond the Internet of Things
“We want to put the power and features back in the hands of the individuals that use it,” Burleson said. “You can request new features and improve the features,” in the Aitheon ecosystem.
Using Aitheon individuals would be able to reprogram robots or thermostats for specific tasks or apply artificial intelligence to devices such as vehicles or thermostats, Burleson predicted. This will go one step beyond the existing Internet of Things IoT.
“The Internet of Things makes devices available but does not solve problems,” Burleson noted. Aitheon is designed to solve problems over the blockchain.
A Super Disruptive Solution
Everybody should watch Aitheon closely because its solution is super-disruptive and has the potential to create vast amounts of value.