The Internet of Agents is ANoN

"Agents will access the internet for tasks humans assign them, and there will be billions of agents running around 24/7." ~ Vinod Khosla

In the words of the great science fiction author William Gibson, "The future is already here - it's just not evenly distributed." This statement aptly describes and encapsulates the history of most technological innovation curves, and the people who are subject to its peaks and valleys while riding the wavelength to its conclusion. I get a sudden mental image of a Fremen warrior, from Frank Herberts Dune, riding a Sand Worm into battle!

Thanks for reading Zachary’s Substack! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Barring all the sci-fi references, if you’re into AI then I would assume an intimate knowledge of what I speak, the main analogy here is about how technological disruption patterns tend to radically change the way people interact, conduct commerce, and engage within the economy. Markets often shift, and brands must adapt to these waves, sometimes even defining behaviors for decades to come, or through generations. Likewise a brand may even create new markets, lending itself to the tectonic activity as a catalyst, it can be varied.

The promise has always been to democratize, empower, unleash, and unlock our potential to thrive through technology. Unfortunately, for the 99%, this equates to centralization, feeling disenfranchised, and confined when it comes to opportunity access. But don’t get me wrong, this isn’t meant to darken the doom and gloom, it’s meant to create a foundation for understanding the comparison for what’s coming, the next wave people will ride, the next promise that perhaps is more aligned to our needs this time? And, it’s going to be a tsunami, so polish your surfboards, ahem.. AI’s and get ready.

Unveiling The Future of The AI Internet

We’re at the precipice of a new era and it's essential to understand the concept of a Network of Networks (NoN) and its profound implications on the internet and the emerging AI Internet that will dictate the future we envision. We need to understand how this shift affects us, cascades into every relationship we have with each other, brands, our data, and the economies which sustain our families. There is no room for an educational gap. Every person must be aware, knowledgable, informed by truths, and become deeply involved in making the decisions that shape the world in which we all want to live in. AI will help us to do this too.

A NoN is a system of interconnected networks that communicate and exchange data with each other, and each network is both autonomous, operating independently, yet also interconnected to share resources and provide services to each other. A lot of technology is designed with bio-mimicry in mind, mostly because nature is the most elegant engineer there is, but also because systems of energy, physics, chemistry, atomic structure and behaviors, all follow a pattern of networks.

Beautiful, seemingly chaotic mixtures of rules that dance amongst themselves, seeking autopoiesis by arranging disrupted patterns to find homeostasis, stability, equalization, and balance. Sometimes even transforming the very fundamental nature of their structures, triggering evolution through absorbing, compacting, or shedding energy and particles. Just like the economic dynamics of a city, or the balance seeking ecosystem of a fire damaged forest. I could write a whole other post about Mycelial Networks! Who thought all this through? Can I hire them to write my tech paper!

The concept was first introduced in the 1970s by Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn, who designed the Internet's architecture as a network of networks to facilitate a faster more efficient exchange of data. This design allowed different computer networks to communicate with each other and formed the basis of the modern Web.

However, a new paradigm is emerging, fueled by the convergence of emerging networks, both physical, technological, and metaphorical, representing communities of people, areas of interest, cities, commerce, social media, economies, and forming around large problems (privacy and security) and yes, around AI. AI is a network, many networks actually, so is your knowledge, and the massed knowledge of many people. Starting to get that picture?

But a new consumer/user-centric approach to AI and data management that promises to shift the balance of power back into the hands of individuals is upon us, and this is also fueled by the advent of AI in our everyday lives, and the devices which facilitate communication and exchange.

We’re building radical solutions at Balnce AI that resonate with the future of the AI Internet, and the data economy that we see coming. It’s our mission to empower people to thrive and become unleashed by the transformative power of their own networks, data, creativity, and intelligence.

The AI Internet: A Network of Networks Evolved

The AI Internet represents the next generation of the internet, where artificial intelligence, machine learning, and multi-agent systems converge. This new paradigm is built upon the same principles of interconnected networks, but with a significant twist. The AI Internet is a network of networks that not only exchanges information but also learns from each other, adapts, and evolves collectively.

Every person is considered a node in the network, and each node is also a smaller version of its own personal network, replete with wearables, IoT devices, WiFi and Bluetooth signals, GPS, mobile phones, laptops, AV/VR goggles, and sensors galore. Each brand or business is also a node in the larger network, and a significant network as well, comprised of many consumer nodes as a relationship.

Each person represents a creator, a buyer, a seller, an influencer, a builder, a social media feed, a friend, and in some cases, also a brand, blogger, subject matter expert, small business owner, video editor, gig worker, and the list can be extensive. We’re all polymaths, and AI holds the promise to catalyze this potential, allowing us safely, securely, and privately monetize our networks, passions, and data simultaneously.

The Universal Language Concept

In the 17th century, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz proposed the concept of "Universalis Linguica" (also known as "characteristica universalis"), envisioning a universal language to facilitate communication across linguistic and cultural boundaries. Leibniz's idea resonated with the belief that communication is the foundation of civilization, society, commerce, community, and economy. The ability to exchange ideas, knowledge, and values has been the driving force behind human progress.

Perhaps Leibniz read the ancient biblical story, The Tower of Babel, and this inspired him to think that if he was able to create a “Universal Language”, he could return a state of thriving cooperation, livelihood ,and safety back to society, instead of fragmentation, voracious greed, and rapacious practices being the undercurrent of progress. Maybe he was not too far off, but the undertaking itself is massive.

The Internet was born from a need, but it evolved through the pressures of growth, adaptation, and as complex requirements for commerce, media, and exchange became more prevalent it gave birth to new fundamental protocols that became the lego building blocks for modern applications, transactions, and interactions.

TCP/IP, HTTPS, SIP, a bunch of letters that sometimes feel like garbled greek, but hold gargantuan levels of change, disruption, and unending variations of business models and tools within their characters.

• TCP/IP: The Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) to interconnect different networks, creating the Internet. TCP/IP enabled data transfer between networks, allowing devices to communicate and access the Internet.
• HTTPS: HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) emerged in the late 1990s as an extension of HTTP. It added a secure layer (SSL/TLS) for encrypting data, ensuring secure online transactions and protecting user data. This development enabled trustworthy communication, paving the way for e-commerce and sensitive data exchange.
• SIP: Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) was introduced in 1999 to establish and manage real-time multimedia sessions over the Internet. SIP facilitated voice and video calls, instant messaging, and video conferencing, revolutionizing real-time communication and paving the way for modern VoIP and unified communication technologies.

Interconnecting networks, secure encrypted data transmission and transfers, revolutionizing unified communications technologies. AI’s speaking to other AIs in the tongue of AI. AIs connecting networks (people nodes, brand nodes, etc) with pipelines that exchange data, transfer and transport data between devices, databases, and other AIs. Secure encryption technologies inside of AIs, in the pipelines between AIs, around the data that AIs carry.

It seems we’re at another interesting inflection point, another potential opportunity to envision the "characteristica universalis", but for AI. Development will only exponentially increase, so to will innovation, so to will open-source contributions, so to will fragmentation, and unavoidable loopholes where bad actors will insert themselves, to your dismay.

This is one of our core “North Stars” in terms of product vision, wish us luck.

Where Does The Network Go? AI Internets and Universal Languages

So what does this all mean, and what are my experiences and expectations as a consumer-user, or a brand in your new proposed “AI Internet”?

Good question, I wish I had all the answers for you, just rub the lamp and we’ll discuss 3000 years of longing, perhaps we can draw the morale out and learn something, use that to imbue the next generation of networks with infallible intelligence and utility. Or perhaps we can start now.

The AI Internet is just a concept, or is it. With its interconnected networks of agents, devices, LAMs, LLMs, SLMs, MoEs, and data, data, data, this concept holds the power to transform every aspect of our lives. It has the potential to democratize access to knowledge, services, and opportunities, empowering individuals to harness their unique skills, passions, and networks to thrive in the emerging data economy. No longer will progress be hindered by linguistic, cultural, or technological barriers; the AI Internet will serve as a universal bridge, connecting people, ideas, and resources in ways we have yet to imagine.

Brands are paying ridiculous costs to advertise and market to you, just to maintain a relationship that ends up being one-sided. However, as we embrace this new paradigm, we must also recognize the challenges and responsibilities that new relationships come with.

The AI Internet must be built upon a foundation of trust, transparency, accountability, and uncompromising security, ensuring that the power it wields is used for the benefit of all, or you.

The journey ahead will not be without its obstacles, but the potential rewards are immeasurable. By harnessing the collective ability to freely, safely, and securely communicate within the AI Internet, we can tackle the most pressing challenges facing our world today, from climate change and healthcare to education and economic inequality. The AI Internet has the power to accelerate scientific discovery, drive technological breakthroughs, and create new opportunities for collaboration and value creation on a global scale. We see a future where every existing consumer-facing market will undergo immense change, and we’re building the core tools to facilitate this future.

As we navigate this uncharted territory, we must remember that the AI Internet is not a destination but a journey – a journey of continuous learning, adaptation, and evolution. Just as the internet has transformed our world in ways we could never have imagined, the AI Internet will shape the future in ways we cannot yet foresee. It is up to us to embrace this change with an open mind, a curious spirit, and a steadfast commitment to building a better world for all.

In the words of Isaac Asimov, one of the greatest science fiction authors of all time, in my humble opinion, "The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom." Add the 3 laws of robotics and we’ve got an interesting bouillabaisse.

As we stand on the brink of this new era, let us strive to gather wisdom as quickly as we gather knowledge. Let us work together to create an AI Internet that is not only technologically advanced but also ethically grounded, socially responsible, and truly inclusive.