First, we need to look at how we got here. Natural gas has worked out very well for a long time. It has proven to be a reliable energy source with a high energy density. For years, all newly built houses in the Netherlands were connected to the Dutch gas grid. By getting the natural gas from Dutch soil (the Groningen gas field), residents could keep their homes cosy at a reasonable price.

On the surface, natural gas seems to be the perfect solution. However, there is a problem. Natural gas produces a lot of CO2, and that is precisely…

Why?

The human brain is the most complex and powerful structure we have ever experienced. We still have so much to learn about it, yet there is also so much we can learn from it. For instance, we do know that the brain is divided into two hemispheres. The left hemisphere, we believe, is responsible for analytical thought, including logic, language, and reasoning. Meanwhile, the right side handles tasks related to creativity, imagination, intuition, music, and art.

While this is a helpful differentiation, it is a drastic oversimplification. This is because both hemispheres are connected and continually work together on most…

In our journey to create Artificial Intelligence (AI) with more human characteristics, we have reached the point where were are copying some of the most challenging components like reasoning and creativity.

In 2013 a London based startup called DeepMind published a groundbreaking paper called Playing Atari with Deep Reinforcement Learning on arXiv. By using a technique called Reinforcement Learning or Deep Q-Learning Agents, the authors were able to give AI models the power to create proper policies.

This addition was seen as a breakthrough as it made it possible for AI to play over 2600 Atari games without written instructions. One of those games was Breakout. It is a computer game that resembles a pixelated version of squash. …

Last weekend we participated in the largest Blockchain and AI Hackathon of the world: The Odyssey Hackathon in Groningen. Our challenge: find a scalable solution to preserve the habitat of wildlife in the tropical rain forest of Borneo.

Although we didn’t win the Hackathon, I am happy to say it was a very successful one! Everyone in the team did a fantastic job.

During our preparation sessions, we already had in our mind to BUIDL a forest change prediction algorithm. If we could predict rainforest change before it happens, authorities could act quicker and mobilize ground forces before the damage…

As we’re chopping 18.7 million acres of forest each year, the equivalent of 27 soccer fields every minute, the earth suffers from heavy losses in biodiversity and its ability to absorb our CO2 footprint. Though even with multidisciplinary technologies, like blockchain and artificial intelligence, we can’t seem to stop it or even slow it down.

I am a practical guy. I believe in technology to solve problems, locally as well as globally. In this short essay, I share with you my first draft of a possible solution to the problem described above.

It begins with concept Nature 2.0, in which…