Tether CEO foresees mainstream brain chips, warns of need for open systems
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino discussed the company’s digital dollar, AI development, and brain-computer interfaces in an interview with Black Box, which he says is “probably the podcast I’m most proud of. It talks about… the risks for our society and humanity. ”
Initially broadcast in his native Italian, Ardoino began by explaining how Tether uses blockchain to digitize the dollar outside the US, providing a store of value for communities experiencing high inflation and limited banking access.
He noted that by
“Creating this digital dollar, we have given, today, 400 million people a chance to save, to keep a dollar in their pocket – a national currency, but a much more solid one than the local currency they are used to or forced to use.”
He then moved on to other aspects of the new Tether, which goes beyond stablecoins into frontier technology and research. Ardoino stressed the promise of brain-computer interfaces in enhancing communication for individuals with severe impairments.
Ardoino emphasized brain-computer interfaces’ potential to improve communication for individuals facing severe impairments, citing an ALS patient who, after losing the ability to speak, maintained a rate of 90 words per minute using a brain chip.
“Once he eventually lost the ability – as the disease completely took over – this person was able to continue communicating with his wife through this Brain-Computer Interface,” Ardoino explained.
Ardoino’s remarks also addressed the pace of artificial intelligence, warning that AI is nearing a threshold where its capacity for self-improvement may outstrip human understanding. He predicted that AI would reach “a point of no return, a speed of evolution such that it will be impossible to stop it, and artificial intelligence will self-improve.”
The discussion then turned to the merits of open versus closed systems.
Ardoino argued for transparency in technologies interfacing with human cognition, insisting that a “brain operating system” remain accessible for independent review to mitigate hidden vulnerabilities.
“This operating system cannot be closed, it cannot be opaque… it should be something open that everyone can verify,” he stated.
His argument draws on the adage common in crypto circles—”don’t trust, verify”—and applies it to the next generation of personal technology.
Ardoino contrasted current developments with earlier skepticism about digital tools. He recalled how many dismissed the potential of computers and mobile phones before widespread adoption, suggesting that brain-computer interfaces could follow a similar trajectory.
Ardoino argued that regulatory efforts to slow progress in Europe might simply shift competitive advantages as other nations forge ahead.
“In reality, Europe is just making itself the tail end of the world… what happens if ten million informed Indian engineers, Chinese, or Americans… decide to get this brain-computer interface and become… super intelligent?” he questioned.
Ardoino observed that mainstream brain-computer interfaces could broaden access to improved communication and cognitive processing while simultaneously sparking concerns about control and privacy. He argued that the technology’s ability to record personal thoughts requires an operating system without concealed controls.
His comments point to a future where human creativity—a trait that machines have not truly replicated—remains a critical advantage, even as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly sophisticated.
“I am mathematically certain that in the next 15-20 years this thing will become like the iPhone… as long as this artificial super intelligence is not there, man has an incredible advantage over the machine: his creativity,” he asserted.
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