Decentralized Society + Web3 At MIT

As with the internet, this next wave of decentralized technologies is likely to reshape society. To ensure we realize the greatest opportunities, and mitigate the greatest risks, of these emerging technologies at scale, we’re bringing together leaders from across the globe including open source communities, technology companies, nonprofits, local, state, and federal governments, as well as researchers in academia and industry.

The Media Lab program is currently focused on three emerging areas:

• Digital Currencies
• Decentralized AI
• Computational Privacy and Security

Despite the promise of these technologies, uncertainty remains around crucial use cases, as well as around scalability and security. Proponents envision a future that is designed to be more resilient, equitable, secure, participatory, and open. This future requires a neutral place for public and private-sector leaders to effectively engage with leading academics on a range of complex questions, choices, and trade offs.

A lack of coordinated academic leadership could limit the potential of these emerging technologies in the domains of digital health, supply-chain logistics, and climate science, as well as block them from addressing some of the most challenging problems and inequities in our centralized tech platforms and financial systems. Academic leadership will also help address systemic risk in the space.

The program will support several scientists and students at MIT. The activities of the program span five areas (1) Research in the three pillars with an emphasis on responsible innovation and shared prosperity (2) Code base and shared data sets among the members (3) APIs, standards and case studies in the emerging areas, (4) Roundtable meetings with stakeholders and events and (5) Entrepreneurial ecosystem of startups, foundations and corporate ventures.