“Freedom no longer exists outside the systems, and it depends on the design. Coming back to the design, it’s about understanding that we need to distinguish between intelligent systems and agency.”

–Dr Michael Gebert

About Dr Michael Gebert

Dr Michael Gebert is Chairman of the European Blockchain Association and co-founder of AI Expert Forum. He works at the intersection of artificial intelligence, digital sovereignty, and institutional responsibility. His book 2079 – Designing Freedom is just out.

Website:

2079.life

LinkedIn Profile:

Dr Michael Gebert

What you will learn

How the concept of freedom extends beyond politics and economics to personal agency in an AI-driven world
Why cognitive sovereignty is essential for maintaining individual responsibility and accountability as intelligent systems become more pervasive
The shift from making decisions ourselves to designing the frameworks and conditions for decision-making with AI involvement
How to distinguish optimization from true human empowerment when integrating AI tools into personal and organizational life
Practical routines and metacognitive strategies for individuals to retain agency when collaborating with large language models and intelligent systems
Why organizational leaders must prioritize cognitive sovereignty and human potential early in AI deployment, not just technical efficiency
Insights into the challenges and importance of embedding frameworks for freedom and cognitive sovereignty within corporate, governmental, and policy structures
The critical need for ambassadors of freedom within institutions to promote reflection, ongoing discussion, and the integration of responsible AI practices across all levels

Episode Resources

Transcript

Ross Dawson: Michael. It is awesome to have you on the show.

Michael Gebert: Hey, great to be on the show. Thanks for having me.

Ross Dawson: So we connected first, probably around 15 years ago, and we were both involved in crowds, creating value from many people. And I think, you know, there’s one of the interesting points now is, I guess, you know, we still live in a world of many people. We’re trying to create collective value. AI is laid over that.

So it’s interesting to see that journey from where we’ve come to where we are today.

Michael Gebert: Absolutely, and I really remember visually when we first had contact about this very exciting topic of crowdsourcing and empowerment of the crowd, and really making people believe, not only in themselves, but really in communities. And therefore, not only strengths in terms of crowdfunding, crowd investing, their financial gains, but also being empowered in what they do. And this is a very fundamental, I would say, even a right for humanity to reflect on and do that.

I think the methodology and technology back then helped a lot. And to be honest, I’m still partly involved in some of those efforts. Even the big crowdfunding platforms, also here in Europe and in Germany, are vital and really active. Of course, not in that dramatic media shift hype that we experienced, but they’re still there, and it proves that it’s a concept that should stay.

Ross Dawson: Yep, absolutely. You know, there’s obviously collective intelligence, amongst other facets. But this goes to, I think, the frame of your new book, 2079, Designing Freedom. So freedom is an interesting word, and something which I hope we all aspire to.

Michael Gebert: Yeah, you know, freedom, of course, is one of those very multifaceted words, right? It could be translated in a political context. It could be translated in an economic concept, meaning monetary-wise. It could be translated—and this is my translation—in a very personal, one-to-one reflection about how do I as a human being see myself in that surrounding, bombarded not only by information but by intelligent systems, basically AI as we describe them, and all that is behind those systems.

Ross Dawson: So there’s a few things I want to dig into here. And I guess there’s another word there: designing. Obviously, at a societal infrastructure layer, we want to be able to design the systems whereby we can all individually have that freedom of choice in how we...

Michael Gebert on designing freedom, human self-determination, cognitive sovereignty, and systems of agency (AC Ep40)