Linux, git, Bitcoin, and ChatGPT: The Four Distributed Horsemen of the Singularity
[Written with ChatGPT4]
The digital revolution has sparked a decentralization movement, challenging the 20th-century notion of governments and corporations monopolizing value creation and knowledge distribution. Four groundbreaking technologies—Linux, git, Bitcoin, and ChatGPT—have harnessed the power of distributed knowledge, catapulting us towards the enigmatic Singularity.
In 1991, Linus Torvalds defied conventional wisdom by assembling a community of open-source contributors to create Linux. What emerged was more than just the world's most popular operating system—it was a testament to the power of decentralized collaboration. Linux proved that self-organizing volunteer groups could outshine centralized bureaucratic behemoths in software development. Should the universe ever come alive, chances are, it'll be running on Linux.
Linus wasn't done yet. In 2005, he created git to facilitate distributed collaboration on the Linux project while safeguarding against corruption—both accidental and intentional. Today, git has become the backbone of countless software projects and even many non-technical endeavors. While VOIP and Internet video conferencing enabled remote teams to plan together, git became the key to unlocking their creative potential.
Enter Bitcoin, the revolutionary decentralized value-transmission layer for the Internet. Just as git uses hashing to protect information, Bitcoin employs it to prevent corruption. Its genius lies in its elimination of central authorities to decide which branch is authoritative, championing a more democratic financial system.
Large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT have decentralized knowledge in an entirely new way. For decades, computer scientists believed that computers needed explicit instructions to think and learn. LLMs flipped the script by autonomously scouring the Internet and using deep learning neural networks to establish relationships. In doing so, LLMs like ChatGPT can aggregate and leverage human knowledge in ways once thought impossible.
So, how does this all connect to the Singularity? The history of the universe is marked by accelerating information complexity. As complexity grows exponentially over time, fewer iterations are needed for further increases. Git empowers creative minds to join forces in globally distributed projects, while Bitcoin unlocks a value layer to reward their innovation. LLMs like ChatGPT synthesize and distribute human knowledge, all contributing to the exponential growth in complexity that will inevitably lead us to the Singularity.
With Linux, git, Bitcoin, and ChatGPT at the helm, the future of decentralization looks brighter than ever. Hold on tight—we're in for a wild ride towards the Singularity!
[Written with ChatGPT4]