Tether CEO warns about the need for open systems

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino discussed the company’s digital dollar, AI development, and brain-computer interfaces in an interview with Black Box, which he says is “probably the podcast I’m most proud of. It talks about… the risks for our society and humanity. ”

First broadcast in Ardoino, who is natively Italian, began his explanation by explaining that Tether uses the blockchain to digitalize the dollar outside of the US. This provides a store value for communities with high inflation rates and limited access to banking.

He noted that

“Creating this digital dollar, we have given, today, 400 million people a chance to save, to keep a dollar in their pocket – a national currency, but a much more solid one than the local currency they are used to or forced to use.”

He then went on to discuss other aspects of Tether. Tether is a new stablecoin that goes beyond the traditional concept and includes research, technology and frontiers. Ardoino emphasized the promise of brain computer interfaces for enhancing communication among individuals with severe disabilities.

Ardoino emphasized brain-computer interfaces’ The potential for improving communication in individuals with severe impairments is cited by an ALS sufferer who, after losing their ability to talk, was able to maintain a 90-word per minute rate using a brainchip.

“Once he eventually lost the ability – as the disease completely took over – this person was able to continue communicating with his wife through this Brain-Computer Interface,” Ardoino explained.

Ardoino’s remarks also addressed the pace of artificial intelligence, warning that AI is nearing a threshold where its capacity for self-improvement may outstrip human understanding. He predicted that AI would reach “a point of no return, a speed of evolution such that it will be impossible to stop it, and artificial intelligence will self-improve.”

The debate then turned towards the pros and cons of open versus close systems.

Ardoino argued for transparency in technologies interfacing with human cognition, insisting that a “brain operating system” remain accessible for independent review to mitigate hidden vulnerabilities.

“This operating system cannot be closed, it cannot be opaque… it should be something open that everyone can verify,” he stated.

His argument draws on the adage common in crypto circles—”don’t trust, verify”—and applies it to the next generation of personal technology.

Ardoino contrasted the current state of digital tools with the earlier skepticism. He remembered how many people dismissed the potential of mobile phones and computers before they became widely adopted, suggesting that brain computer interfaces could also follow a similar path.

Ardoino said that efforts to regulate Europe and slow down progress could simply result in other nations gaining competitive advantage.

“In reality, Europe is just making itself the tail end of the world… what happens if ten million informed Indian engineers, Chinese, or Americans… decide to get this brain-computer interface and become… super intelligent?” he questioned.

Ardoino remarked that brain-computer interfaces, as they are known today, could improve communication and cognitive processes while also raising concerns about privacy and control. He argued that the technology’s ability to record personal thoughts requires an operating system without concealed controls.

His comments point to a future where human creativity—a trait that machines have not truly replicated—remains a critical advantage, even as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly sophisticated.

“I am mathematically certain that in the next 15-20 years this thing will become like the iPhone… as long as this artificial super intelligence is not there, man has an incredible advantage over the machine: his creativity,” he asserted.