Blockchange – How Science Revolutionizes Democracy, Work and Nature Using Blockchain (en)

Thomas Wagenknecht Blockchain technology drives a decentralization
revolution across various areas of our lives. While the financial
industry has certainly been most affected, entrepreneurs, artists
and scientists have now begun to explore the potential of
blockchain-based systems elsewhere. In this talk, Thomas
Wagenknecht, a scientist at FZI Research Center for Information
Technology, presents three applications of the blockchain - in the
future of work, for forests as well as new models for democracy. He
introduces three diverse cases. First, Thomas talks about an
approach to compensate start-up founders using a Blockchain-based
framework. Moreover, he discusses the potentials of “terra0,” an
augmented forest that owns itself thanks to smart contracts. This
concept significantly questions human relationship and management
of natural resources, posing several research challenges for
philosophy, information systems and ecology. Finally, Thomas
examines the value of governance models like “Futarchy” for our
political system. While these prediction market-based ideas
proposed by leading academics have promising elements to improve
public governance, they also fundamentally challenge core values of
our democracy. Are the benefits of these revolutionary concepts
greater than their risks? What's fiction and what can become
reality? What are the main obstacles to implementation? And how can
scientists best cooperate with artists, developers and
entrepreneurs?