The biggest criticism of blockchain technology is generally that the decentralization and anonymity—or at least pseudonymity—it affords will also facilitate illegal activity outside the reaches of government, such as illicit marketplaces where you can buy anything from drugs to hitmen.

That’s what ultimately led the U.S. authorities to shut down Bitcoin-enabled marketplaces such as AlphaBay and Silk Road.

Of course, in certain circles of diehard crypto enthusiasts and cypherpunks, such online bazaars of freely traded contraband are part of the utopian promise of cryptocurrency—the ultimate expression of monetary freedom.

So how can a blockchain project seek to create greater decentralization but still operate in the confines of the law?

Enter Dfinity, which aims to create a sort of decentralized cloud computer—or “Internet computer,” as Dominic Williams, Dfinity’s president and chief scientist calls it. The project’s blockchain provides it a governance system that keeps the various entities on the network on the same page, combining human-driven decision-making with algorithmic artificial intelligence, or AI.

“The Internet computer has this algorithmic governance system called the blockchain nervous system, which can get involved in all kinds of different aspects of the network,” Williams explains on Fortune’s latest episode of “Balancing the Ledger.” “It might allow someone to submit a proposal to close down something that some people think would harm the network, like an assassination market.”

“On the other hand, the governance also processes network operations instructions, like create a new shard or partition of computers, or move this module of software from that place to this place,” Williams continues.

Still, what if the majority of “neurons”—Dfinity’s term for the network’s units of voting power—favor an activity that regulators (and many citizens) would consider harmful to society, such as an opioid distribution market?

If decentralized social networks, financial institutions and other enterprises Dfinity foresees are to succeed—especially if they are powered by AI automation—they may still need to prove they can govern themselves in a way that broadly conforms to societal rules and morals.

区块链技术最被人诟病之处往往是去中心化和匿名，起码也是假名充斥。这种特性也助长了政府监管未能覆盖的违法活动，例如一些非法市场上可以买毒品，甚至能买凶杀人。

也正因此，美国政府最终关闭了AlphaBay和“丝绸之路”（Silk Road）之类使用比特币交易的网上交易平台。

当然，在一些加密数字货币的铁杆粉丝和痴迷加密技术的人士眼中，此类交易违禁品的网站只是加密数字货币乌托邦理想的阴暗面，而加密数字货币是货币自由的终极体现。

那么，区块链项目如何才能做到，在进一步去中心化的同时不触犯法律的底线？

区块链项目Dfinity力求打造去中心化的云端计算机，Dfinity的总裁兼首席科学家多米尼克·威廉姆斯称其为“互联网电脑”。Dfinity的区块链提供一套管理系统，可确保网络上不同类型的实体信息同步，将人类决策与人工智能算法结合起来。

威廉姆斯在《财富》杂志的最新一期周播节目“Balancing the Ledger”上解释说：“互联网电脑配置了名叫区块链神经系统的算法管理系统，可以参与网络上各种活动。用户可建议关闭一些大家都认为会伤害整个网络的部分，比如暗杀市场。”

“另一方面，管理系统也可处理网络运营指令，比如创建电脑的新碎片或分区，或是将软件的模块从一处挪到另一处。”威廉姆斯表示。

Dfnity将网络内部拥有投票权的单元称为“神经元”。然而，假如大多数神经元都支持某种监管机构（以及很多公民）认为对社会有害的活动，例如销售阿片类药物的市场，那又该怎么办？

不管是去中心化的社交网络、金融机构还是Dfinity预料今后会出现的新型企业，尤其是结合人工智能自动化驱动的企业，若想获得成功可能需要证明内部控制措施充分，且基本普遍符合社会规则与道德规范。（财富中文网）

译者：Pessy

审校：夏林