Vitalik registers ‘defensive accelerationism’ (d/acc) ENS domain — but what is it?

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has just paid around $500 to register a new Ethereum Name Service domain name called “dacc.eth.”

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has picked up a new Ethereum domain name to specifically reference “defensive accelerationism.”

On Aug. 18, Vitalik Buterin registered for the Ethereum Name Service (ENS) domain name “dacc.eth,” for 0.187 Ether (ETH), which is worth just under $500 at current prices.

It comes just days before Buterin is set to discuss “defensive accelerationism” (d/acc) at an X Spaces discovery event on Aug. 22 with Vincent Weisser, Prime Intellect founder and decentralization advocate, and Skylar Weaver, Devcon lead at the Ethereum Foundation.

What is d/acc?

Buterin first introduced the concept of d/acc in a blog post in November 2023 titled “My techno-optimism,” with many of the arguments focused on the state of artificial intelligence development. 

D/acc suggests focusing on human-AI collaboration and augmentation rather than fully autonomous AI. In May, Buterin cautioned against “superintelligent” AI, calling it “risky.”

It also strongly differs from the prevalent Silicon Valley and Big Tech notion of effective accelerationism (e/acc), which advocates for an explicitly unrestricted, pro-technological stance, such as allowing AI to proceed unchecked. 

Buterin’s d/acc advocates for a controlled, cautious approach to technological development and promotes more decentralization. 

This could include advancing technologies that allow for more resilient infrastructure, pandemic preparedness, cyber defense and information defense, such as tools to combat misinformation.

Related: Vitalik Buterin says AI could help solve Ethereum’s ‘biggest technical risk’

The philosophy is positioned as a middle ground between unchecked technological acceleration and overly restrictive regulation.

“I see far too many plans to save the world that involve giving a small group of people extreme and opaque power and hoping that they use it wisely,” Buterin said.

The philosophy “seeks to create and maintain a more democratic world and tries to avoid centralization as the go-to solution to our problems,” explained Buterin.

Meanwhile, degen memecoin minters wasted no time in creating unrelated tokens called DACC, some of which have already surged 400%, according to DEX Screener. 

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