Gavin Wood Unveils Polkadot’s Proof of Personhood Launch Plan

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In a recent Web3 Summit held in Berlin, Polkadot‘s founder, Gavin Wood, revealed his implementation plan for the protocol’s decentralized human verification system, Proof of Personhood (PoP). This innovative solution aims to tackle the challenges of identity verification in the age of artificial intelligence.

During his keynote speech, Wood discussed how PoP will be launched through Polkadot’s own Individuality system, which includes DIM1 (Proof of Individuality) and DIM2 (Proof of Verified Individuality). Although the exact launch date remains undisclosed, Wood assured that PoP’s debut will be backed by a treasury proposal worth $3 million.

Moreover, Polkadot’s PoP will be accompanied by what Wood described as “the fairest airdrop ever.”

Wood emphasized the importance of using Proof of Personhood to address the identity challenges faced by on-chain users, especially in an era where artificial intelligence has advanced significantly, making it increasingly difficult to distinguish between AI-operated accounts and human-run accounts.

Trust and Decentralized Identity in an AI-Laden World

During the Web3 Summit panel titled “Trust,” Ian Grigg, Inventor and Financial Cryptographer at Ricardian Contracts, shared his thoughts on the subject. Grigg believes that trust cannot be fully replicated by technology, as it is inherently human and involves emotions, uncertainty, and context.

Machines, on the other hand, are not capable of feeling these emotions linked to human trust. Grigg argued that automating trust through machines creates fragile, insecure systems. He also highlighted the interconnectedness of trust and identity, stating that in order to trust, one must understand exactly who or what is being trusted, grounded in human insight, not just protocol or code.

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2025-07-17 13:23