Vitalik minted the ENS domain name dacc.eth. What is the concept of d/acc?

Author: James, Source: Block Tempo

Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, once praised the Ethereum domain name service ENS as the most successful non-financial application in Ethereum. Now, according to on-chain data, he suddenly minted a new ENS domain name dacc.eth at 12 noon today, and announced that he would talk about the concept of d/acc in X's messaging space on August 22. Unexpectedly, according to DEX Screener data, the meme coin E/ACC of the same name soared upon hearing the news. It soared more than 7 times within 15 minutes after the news came out, bringing its market value to 5 million US dollars. However, it has now fallen back by more than 63% from its high point, and its market value has fallen back to 1.91 million US dollars.

d/acc is a new concept proposed by Vitalik Buterin in an article last November. Subsequently, the meme coin d/acc of the same name came out. However, in December last year, it was reported that the project had given up operations and the price of the coin was close to zero. Although it has skyrocketed today because of Vitalik, the official website has disappeared.

What is d/acc?

Last November, Vitalik Buterin discussed his views on techno-optimism, AI risks, and how to avoid centralization in today's world.

Vitalik Buterin believes that although technological progress has its risks, its benefits far outweigh the harm it may cause. People should not just blindly pursue profits, but should consciously choose the direction of technological development to ensure that technological progress can bring a better future for mankind.

In response to how to resolve the contradiction between technological development and centralization, Vitalik Buterin proposed defensive accelerationism "d/acc", which has a significant difference in attitude towards technological development from the effective accelerationism "e/acc" popular in Silicon Valley:

1. e/acc: This term was widely circulated in the Silicon Valley startup circle after the birth of ChatGPT. This view emphasizes the huge benefits of technological progress and is eager to accelerate this trend to bring these benefits faster. E/acc supporters are generally dissatisfied with the conservative attitude of existing regulatory agencies such as the FDA in the review of drugs and new technologies, believing that this has delayed the introduction of life-saving treatments.

2. d/acc: Emphasizes defense, decentralization, democracy, and differentiation, seeks to create and maintain a more democratic world, and tries to avoid centralization as the preferred method of solving problems. D/acc advocates a detailed risk handling plan, but aims to avoid excessive concentration of power.

Vitalik Buterin advocates the establishment of a "defense-first" worldview, believing that a defense-oriented world is a better world because it not only directly improves security and reduces conflicts, but also makes it easier for healthy, open and freedom-respecting governance forms to flourish. In his article, he extended the meaning of "d" as follows:

'D' can be defense, decentralization, democracy and differential.

What are the differences in their views on the threat of AI to humans?

d/acc is more cautious about the potential threat of AI, believing that the concentration of power may lead to the abuse of AI, so it emphasizes decentralization and diversified participation, so that more people can supervise and influence the development of AI. d/acc believes that through decentralized technology and an open and transparent decision-making process, the risk of AI being controlled by a few people and used to harm humans can be reduced.

e/acc is more optimistic about the potential threats of AI, believing that the development of AI is an inevitable trend. As long as the development is accelerated, super intelligence can be achieved early and various challenges facing mankind can be solved. e/acc pays less attention to the risks that AI may bring, and is more inclined to believe that technological progress will ultimately benefit mankind.