Illia Polosukhin discusses the dangerous precedent of the US government's export ban on Anthropic's Fable model, arguing it violates free speech and will accelerate AI development outside the US. He warns that centralized AI could become like fiat currency, with governments controlling access and requiring KYC, making Near's user-owned AI stack (confidential inference, private agents, and a private shard) increasingly valuable.
Summarized by Podsumo
The Fable ban sets a dangerous precedent: governments can shut down *any* internet service, not just AI, pushing nations to build sovereign labs.
Illia argues 'alignment' is a myth—you can't align AI with society, only with a single user or company.
Near's stack (confidential inference, Ironclaw, private shard) offers a 'full sovereign mode' where data, assets, and choices are private.
Decentralized AI can provide 90%+ capability at 90% lower cost, driving adoption in developing countries and enterprises.
Governments are becoming more restrictive, which makes user-owned AI (like Near) *more valuable* and *bullish for crypto*.
"Alignment is a meme. Because we're not aligned, like people are not aligned with each other. You can only do alignment with a single person."
— Illia Polosukhin
"You want it to be on your side always, like your mom. It doesn't matter what you do, it's always on your side. But at the same time, it can be critically pushing you back when you are trying to do something stupid."
— Illia Polosukhin
"The Fable ban is a very strange precedent for the internet... it violates the whole premise that the internet is borderless."
— Illia Polosukhin