Summary
In this conversation, Miguel De Vega, co-founder of Nillion, shares his journey from academia to the Web3 space, detailing the unique infrastructure and privacy-enhancing technologies that Nillion offers. He discusses the importance of developer-friendly design, the positioning of Nillion in the privacy space, and the key audiences they aim to serve. Miguel also addresses the challenges of recruiting developers into the privacy space and the balance between privacy and performance in application development. In this conversation, Miguel De Vega discusses the advancements and applications of Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs) in both Web2 and Web3 environments. He emphasizes the importance of communicating the value of these technologies to different audiences, particularly in the context of compliance and innovation. The discussion also highlights Nillion's innovative approach to hackathons and community engagement, as well as the intersection of privacy and AI, showcasing how decentralized infrastructure can support personalized AI agents while ensuring data privacy. The conversation concludes with insights on positioning privacy in AI for the Web3 audience, resonating with their ethos of decentralization and innovation.
Takeaways

• Miguel's background in engineering and math led him to Web3.
• Nillion is not a blockchain but a decentralized infrastructure.
• Different privacy enhancing technologies serve different use cases.
• Nillion's architecture allows developers to choose privacy technologies easily.
• The term 'blind computing' resonates well with users.
• Privacy is becoming increasingly important in Web3, especially with AI.
• Nillion targets both Web3 and Web2 developers.
• Developers need guidance in understanding privacy technologies.
• Nillion provides a roadmap for gradual implementation of privacy features.
• Balancing performance and security is crucial in privacy-enhancing applications. We're doing research on collaboration with Meta and other institutions.
• TEEs are seen as a first-class citizen in the world of PETs.
• Privacy enhancing technologies open new possibilities for Web3.
• The challenge is to showcase new use cases for privacy technologies.
• Hackathons are a great way to engage the developer community.
• Nillion's marketing campaigns have increased brand awareness significantly.
• Privacy is essential for AI agents managing sensitive information.
• Decentralized infrastructure is crucial for privacy in AI.
• The ethos of decentralization resonates with the Web3 community.
• Building on decentralized infrastructure taps into significant potential for research.

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