Currencies

What is the network that sustains this object? (How does it move from person to person, person to software, to platform, what things are attached to it (visual culture) Networks of attachments How does it relate / sustain a collective? (human + non-human))

Ad-hoc currencies are common in certain platforms, this means they can be used only in a certain ecosystem. For example, in-game currencies like "Gold" in Crash of Clans, can be earned and used only in that game. They allow for in-app or on-site monetisation, as they are commonly bought using legal tender (i.e. dollars, danish crowns, etc)

Within AI-oriented platforms, currencies tie the user, the producer, and the platform. "Buzz", the currency for Civitai (one of the largest marketplaces for generative AI content), acts as a reward for the user's interaction with content, as a tip for content creators, and even as a "bounty" for specific requests.

How does it evolve through time?

In the last decade, GPUs provided vast amounts of computational power to generate cryptocurrencies, with a mathematically-defined controlled scarcity. With the expansion of LLMs and AI-orientated platforms, this scarcity has moved towards the hardware capable of train, use, and fine-tuned LLMs.

How does it create value? Or decrease / affect value?

Buzz, for example, allows any civitai user to generate images. That is, this currency is exchanged for computational power, expertise, or a combination of both. Legal tender transforms into a community-value, where GPUs ownership and modelling knowledge and skills become highly valuable.

What is its place/role in techno cultural strategies?

How does it relate to autonomous infrastructure?