Ozi Amanat is an international investor, venture capitalist and founder at K2 Global.
We are on the brink of a world with artificial general intelligence, but I believe that preserving original human thought will be critical to our survival as a species. This isn’t a new concern; we have already lost so much control of our own personal consumer data as our behavior is tracked across the internet and packed and sold to advertisers.
There’s no turning back—technology disruption and progress will continue as we adopt new technologies that make our lives better. However, this progress should not replace our need to protect our personal data, protect our personal identities and keep control of authentic interactions. This is why authenticity—and authentication—matter.
The Need For Digital And Physical Authentication
Authentication is the process of verifying the identity of a user or system, which can be crucial for security and privacy purposes. The process of authentication uses a variety of technologies, such as password-based, biometric-based or token-based. Especially in today’s digital age, identity authentication can help prevent fraudulent activities and protect individuals’ personal information. And as venture capitalists join the AI gold rush and continue to invest in new technologies that bring convenience, we must consider solutions that allow us to protect ourselves in a future where data means access and financial opportunity. There is a subtle distinction between convenience and compromising our personal data without recognizing the potential repercussions.
Furthermore, authentication covers more data than just personal authentication—our digital and physical worlds are colliding. We can now use authentication on physical, real-world assets, such as tracing the origins of the organic ingredients listed on a packed food label to verify that a company’s packaging is true and trustworthy. Authentication can help ensure that food products are safe, genuine and meet certain standards.
With that in mind, here are several case studies that I believe exemplify the importance of authentication in both the digital and physical realms.
Case Study #1: Personal Identification And Deepfakes
The rise of deepfakes—manipulated videos that use artificial intelligence to make it appear that someone is doing or saying something they never did—poses a significant threat to personal authenticity. Startups like Synthesia AI that use synthetic videos for advertising and other use cases have been discussed on both sides of the debate over the potential ramifications of deepfakes. In the wrong hands, this technology has the potential to harm individuals’ reputations, cause political unrest and even incite violence.
However, I believe there is also an opportunity for companies that prove themselves trustworthy to leverage the same technology to identify and detect deepfakes created by others. This could have significant implications for cybersecurity and help undo the damage done by more malicious types of personal identification fraud. As this type of content becomes more prevalent, we want to have access to reliable tools for identity verification.
Case Study #2: Biometric Authentication For Smart Guns
“Smart guns” are firearms that use technology to limit who can fire them. Biometric authentication is a critical component of this technology, ensuring that only authorized users can access the weapon. For example, BioFire has developed a smart gun that uses state-of-the-art biometrics, including both fingerprint and facial recognition, to allow access to the weapon. Biometric authentication could help not only provide added security but also prevent unauthorized access to weapons, which could be a critical step in reducing gun violence.
Case Study #3: Blockchain For Food Traceability In Supply Chain Management
Blockchain technology is the basis of authentication for numerous businesses, and it has recently gained popularity in supply chain management, particularly in the food industry. By using blockchain, food companies can create a transparent and traceable system that provides accurate information about the origin and authenticity of food products. For instance, companies like Lumachain track and trace the origin, location and condition of individual items in a supply chain from farm to fork to provide traceability, improve efficiency and increase safety. They leverage a range of technologies, including computer vision-based AI, IoT, cloud and blockchain. This technology can help reduce food fraud and improve food safety, providing consumers with greater confidence in the authenticity of their food.
As we continue to embrace new technologies and innovations, we must prioritize protecting our personal data and identities. Authentication plays a critical role in ensuring security and privacy, not just in the digital world but also in the physical world. Biometric authentication, blockchain technology and other authentication methods can help prevent fraudulent activities and promote transparency across industries and applications.
I believe that as investors and creators, we have an obligation to society to continue to integrate authentication methods into our solutions—for the sake of truth in our future and for the sake of a collective society with individual liberties and privacy.
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