Digital Serfs or Sovereign Users? The d/acc Answer to the AI Leviathan

In a November 2023 essay, Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin argued that if offense keeps getting cheaper than defense, the AI race ends with a surveillance Leviathan and ordinary people reduced to digital serfs. His alternative, defensive accelerationism, bets on cryptography, open small models, and on-device AI. Daniel and Emily test whether that defense is real, who would actually adopt it, and what it costs. ## Hosts ### Daniel Altman Daniel Altman is a computer scientist and AI strategist with a background in engineering, quantitative research, and emerging technologies. He studies how technological breakthroughs reshape industries, markets, work, and human capabilities. ### Emily Carter Emily Carter is a business strategist and former technology product leader with experience building digital products and studying how innovation reaches millions of users. She focuses on AI adoption, business transformation, work, education, entrepreneurship, and leadership. ## Sources - https://vitalik.eth.limo/general/2023/11/27/techno_optimism.html ## Episode Information Language: en Published: 2026-09-13T03:58:54.492914+00:00