Blockchain technology is the latest and greatest in human ingenuity, but what are its implications for the course of human development from a people-focused point of view?
Arnaud Saint-Paul is a conscious technologist, philanthropist, and social entrepreneur. The recipient of 11 innovation honors and awards, he is passionate about technology and how it helps humanity to evolve positively.
Invest in Blockchain spoke to him about his views on the divergence of blockchain and human evolution.
What do you do, and what is your professional background?
I focus my time and resources on using technology to help humanity become more conscious, happy and prosperous.
I am a conscious technologist, a conscious capitalist, and a serial entrepreneur who has launched several startups in many sectors across the globe. As such, I have been honored with eleven different innovation awards that are a result of my purpose to create new ways for communities to become better versions of themselves, from a social and/or financial standpoint.
What is a conscious technologist?
A conscious technologist is someone that not only lives a conscious and mindful life but also understands how consciousness is related to technology and how technology can foster the expansion of consciousness among individuals and their communities.
In your view, how does technology fit into social entrepreneurship?
Technology is here to help us gain more momentum in our own growth, to help us discover our true potentials.
When I talk about potentials, it is not only about external potentials and achievements like going to Mars, launching a new product or revolutionary technology, but more importantly, about the inner ones: technology can help us become more compassionate, grateful, and social-driven in all aspects of our lives. Therefore, just like media, technology is definitely a means for us to deliver the social value that our society needs for its healthy survival and growth in the long term.
Technology has had a detrimental effect on many jobs that sustained families all over the world for decades. Do you believe that the positive social impact technology can have outweighs the cost that is paid for it?
This is a very good question and the definitive answer is a resounding YES.
The reason why does not lie in technology itself and its impact on the outer world (our environment, the conditions of our lives, etc.) but in the fact that as we get more and more assisted by technology in our earthly endeavors, as energy and labor becomes free, we are able to have more time to tackle the inner or soft technology that lays inside every single human being: love, gratitude, compassion, trust, and much, much more.
Without a doubt, throughout the world, we might be able to see the negative impact that the implementation of technology in the name of productivity might have on so many. But perhaps we are forgetting that all these same families have also experienced huge positive benefits from technology such as more mobility, access to bigger markets, self-education, and so on.
All in all, I believe technology and blockchain bring about transformation, not destruction.
Why does blockchain technology excite you?
Up to date, the structure we have used for business, managing our communities, and so on, has been based on a linear and centralized approach which is very much dependent on a mental framework that is not viable anymore. As technology’s pace accelerates, as the challenges we face become more and more daunting, we have no other choice than to trust ourselves and our communities to collectively take the right decisions … together.
This is one of the reasons why blockchain is so amazing as it is very much aligned with these new ways of living. With the new era, we will experience for the next millennium or so; acquiring the properties of multi-faceted growth (compared to linear/revenue only growth) is important for both companies and communities.
In your opinion, how will blockchain change the world?
Blockchain is a vector of change in the sense that, as explored earlier, as a group it will help us to implement positive multi-faceted networks and solutions instead of focusing on single aspects of a problem.
The magic of blockchain is that thanks to this technology, we can, at last, solve big problems holistically instead of linearly, and they can auto-adapt as circumstances change. Blockchain technology allows us to think about, for instance, how to create a currency that does good, that has a specific purpose, instead of just being a means of exchange. This is a revolution in itself.
What are your thoughts on ICOs?
ICOs are a very interesting evolution of the VC model we have seen happening in the past decade. I would refer you to my article on this topic for further exploration.
In a nutshell, ICOs are awesome but they pose some interesting questions on the future valuation of the companies launching them. Are we recognizing a new type of value in the creation of a startup or is it the same under a new fancy name? In any case, the ICO movement is only at the beginning of its cycle and much is to be unfolded in the years to come as the sector gets more structured.
When did you first get involved with cryptocurrency and the blockchain?
I would dare to say it all started around the year 2003 when there were only e-currencies. We created a fund and were lucky enough to raise online funds that allowed us to trade and bring very interesting profits to our investors.
After that period, I went on to other endeavors. More recently, I came back as I discovered the enormous potential blockchain has in helping us change society for good, and envision a more positive future for the communities we live in.
What do you do in your work with Vedas?
I have been invited to mastermind Vedas’ growth in the years to come and I feel very honored. Our company seeks to benefit itself from the amazing opportunities brought by the combination of IoT (Internet of Things) and Blockchain.
Many projects are making strides in that same direction but at Vedas, we believe we can add even more value by offering positive social change to many communities, making a difference in people’s lives with these technologies.
Where do you see the future of blockchain and IoT going?
Tough question, as we all can perceive many possible futures, many different ways to grow and foster more abundance for our societies. We can already see the emerging combination of several technologies together: AI, IoT, Robotics, and of course, blockchain.
It is clear that we are paving the way to an exciting world of total abundance where robots and their AI and IoT, will be able to tap into blockchain to gather information or participate in the execution of instructions or even decisions to serve our best interests. Technology-wise, we are creating the foundation for the next centuries.
How does conscious capitalism, which is a cause close to you, fit into cryptocurrency and the blockchain?
Conscious Capitalism is a movement that instils in one of the main frameworks of our modern society a new paradigm that takes into account, at last, the human factor. It also invites the capitalistic world to look for a positive social impact on the optimization of financial growth.
This is where blockchain can play an important part. We can envision someday a new blockchain aimed at tracking, measuring and perfecting the workplace for millions of individuals working in any company on Earth. Wouldn’t that be amazing?
How will blockchain transform industry roles?
Blockchain brings amazing new tools that will help streamline specific aspects of jobs that are repetitive. As soon as we can model in our token specific processes, they will then be used in a seamless way to provide more value to companies so that they can be more efficient. We can, therefore, focus on more demanding aspects of the job at hand; strategies, results, decision-making, etc.
What are the most promising industries to be transformed by blockchain?
In my point of view, all that is related to social impact will greatly benefit from it. Blockchain finally provides a unique way to measure what was thought of as difficult to measure. This will lead to tremendous opportunities in the time to come.
What are your biggest hopes and fears regarding the future of this technology?
I believe that our future as a whole is based on the adoption of the blockchain. I believe it holds the keys to humanity’s next level of evolution. Obviously, it will entail many transformations at all level of our societies, the main one being that certitudes and tangibility will become fading concepts as the blockchain, together with its content, smart contracts, etc., will auto-adjust itself dynamically as a function of its environment, just like our DNA.
Do you personally invest?
I do invest in projects that are dear to my heart and which I believe bring positive impact to humanity as a whole.
To learn more about Arnaud’s work, connect with him on LinkedIn or visit his website or blog.
