Casper Labs, IBM team up to develop blockchain-based AI governance tool

Blockchain software and services provider Casper Labs has partnered with IBM Consulting to create and develop a blockchain-based AI governance tool using IBM’s watsonx platform.

In this collaboration, Casper Labs seeks to leverage the watsonx.governance and watsonx.ai tools, combined with Casper’s tamper-proof ledger, to measure and monitor serialized data input and output for training generative AI systems in institutions.

According to Casper Labs, the tool’s beta version will be accessible to the public in the first quarter of 2024. Following the beta version, the blockchain provider said its subsequent versions will be available in the IBM Cloud Marketplace and Casper Labs’ distribution channels.

IBM Consulting executive partner Shyam Nagarajan emphasized that the effectiveness of an AI system relies on the system owner’s ability to use and train the AI for various purposes.

“We’re proud to bring IBM Consulting and technology to support Casper Labs in creating a new solution offering an important layer to drive transparency and risk mitigation for companies deploying AI at scale,” said Nagarajan.

Upon launch, the new solution may assist companies from different industries in using AI responsibly across different technology and service providers.

Combining AI and blockchain

Watsonx AI and data platform used for Casper Labs’ new AI governance tool comprise three core components and tailor-made AI assistants designed to assist businesses grow with reliable and accurate data.

According to IBM, the three components of watsonx are a foundation models studio for generative AI and machine learning (ML), an open data lakehouse architecture-based data store, and a toolkit for enhancing AI workflows.

The watsonx-powered AI assistants are applications accessible even to users with limited AI knowledge, aiding in various business processes. For instance, watsonx Orchestrate allows human users to efficiently delegate common and complex talent management tasks to human experts.

With all the benefits watsonx provides, the new AI governance tool aims to offer several features, including a quality control toolkit, version control, audit and reporting system, and a compliance dashboard.

To address potential AI hallucinations or performance issues, Casper Labs CEO Mrinal Manohar expresses confidence in the collaboration with IBM for resolving such challenges in AI systems.

“AI’s long-term potential will be dictated by how effectively and efficiently organizations can understand, govern, and react to increasingly massive AI training data sets,” said Manohar.

Pre-launch tech reveal

While Casper Labs has slated the official launch of its AI governance solution for 2024, the company has made strides in exploring the trends behind combining blockchain and AI as the starting point of the AI governance tool’s development.

In an online webinar titled “Building More Responsible AI Systems” on November 2, 2023, Nagarajan highlighted the potential of combining blockchain and AI to automate event sequence serialization within the ledger.

The blockchain serves as an auditor for the AI, ensuring the accuracy of its results. Its tamper-proof and decentralized nature prevents human users from making false statements or tampering with records, as all data input is recorded without human intervention.

Following the webinar, Casper Labs will preview the solution during a live session in The Hub for Davos 2024 on January 16. As a gathering hub for academics, industrial leaders and policymakers, the upcoming event will discuss the application and implications of emerging technologies like AI and blockchain.