I’m thrilled to finally reveal Future Forge!
Since joining Evernym in 2018, I’ve been completely sold on SSI. I’ve put in a lot of hours and shed much blood, sweat, and many tears to advance the concept. In the past, many of us has said, “This is the year SSI will take off…” So far, no one’s been right in that prediction. This year, however, I’m more optimistic than ever. Signs of significant advancement include:
- The launch of Microsoft Entra Verified ID last year.
- The adoption of the European Digital Identity regulation on March 26th of this year (with a target adoption deadline of 2026).
- The recent approval of the implementer’s draft of the OIDC4VC API.
- Similar progress at the ToIP Foundation, with three KERI specs (KERI, ACDC, and CESR) in active review for final acceptance, and an implementer’s draft of the Trust Spanning Protocol is coming any day now.
- Many, many (too many to list) open source implementations of now solidifying standards and protocols (my current favorite project is walt.id)…
- And the most exciting evidence for me came last fall when I was traveling to the Internet Identity Workshop (IIW) and was able to use my official Utah-issued digital driver’s license to pass through the TSA checkpoint at the airport. This was the first time in my life that I’d ever been able to use a verifiable credential for anything real.
Also, over the last 18 months, AI has steadily become more a part of daily life. There isn’t a day that I don’t use AI in one way or another now. It’s amazing how quickly I’ve shifted from “Googling” things to asking ChatGPT or Claude instead. GitHub co-pilot has been a game changer for me. In fact, I’ve quickly gone from being somewhat skeptical about the practical applications of AI to being an enthusiast.
These technologies make up part of what my friends have labeled Empowerment Tech (see here and here). I remember the first time someone described the concept of a personal digital agent to me. The person suggested that it would be like having my own personal J.A.R.V.I.S. I now believe that SSI combined with AI makes something like this quite conceivable.
I’ve founded Future Forge as a vehicle to contribute to the advancement of Empowerment Technologies in three ways:
- Thinking and writing about it – contributing to the conversation.
- Building a suite of delightful products aimed at smashing any barrier to entry that may exist today.
- Providing my background and experience to help others accomplish their own goals through private consulting.
So we’re off! I’m glad you’re here and I look forward to working with you to get this done!
