Junfei Wang, He Huang, Jingze Feng, Steven Wong · 6 authors
There is a significant demand for indoor localization technology in smart buildings, and the most promising solution in this field is using RF sensors and fingerprinting-based methods that employ machine learning models trained on crowd-sourced user data gathered from IoT devices. However, this raises security and privacy issues in practice. Some researchers propose to use federated learning to partially overcome privacy problems, but there still remain security concerns, e.g., single-point failure and malicious attacks. In this paper, we propose a framework named DFLoc to achieve precise 3D localization tasks while considering the following two security concerns. Particularly, we design a specialized blockchain to decentralize the framework by distributing the tasks such as model distribution and aggregation which are handled by a central server to all clients in most previous works, to address the issue of the single-point failure for a reliable and accurate indoor localization system. Moreover, we introduce an updated model verification mechanism within the blockchain to alleviate the concern of malicious node attacks. Experimental results substantiate the framework's capacity to deliver accurate 3D location predictions and its superior resistance to the impacts of single-point failure and malicious attacks when compared to conventional centralized federated learning systems.
We investigate the potential of using Large Language Models (LLM) to support process model creation in organizational contexts. Specifically, we carry out a case study wherein we develop and test an LLM-based chatbot, PRODIGY (PROcess moDellIng Guidance for You), in a multinational company, the Hilti Group. We are particularly interested in understanding how LLM can aid (human) modellers in creating process flow diagrams. To this purpose, we first conduct a preliminary user study (n=10) with professional process modellers from Hilti, inquiring for various pain-points they encounter in their daily routines. Then, we use their responses to design and implement PRODIGY. Finally, we evaluate PRODIGY by letting our user study's participants use PRODIGY, and then ask for their opinion on the pros and cons of PRODIGY. We coalesce our results in actionable takeaways. Through our research, we showcase the first practical application of LLM for process modelling in the real world, shedding light on how industries can leverage LLM to enhance their Business Process Management activities.
Ahmed Alagha, Hadi Otrok, Shakti Singh, Rabeb Mizouni · 5 authors
Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) has emerged as a powerful paradigm for solving complex problems. However, its full potential remains inaccessible to a broader audience due to its complexity, which requires expertise in training and designing DRL solutions, high computational capabilities, and sometimes access to pre-trained models. This necessitates the need for hassle-free services that increase the availability of DRL solutions to a variety of users. To enhance the accessibility to DRL services, this paper proposes a novel blockchain-based crowdsourced DRL as a Service (DRLaaS) framework. The framework provides DRL-related services to users, covering two types of tasks: DRL training and model sharing. Through crowdsourcing, users could benefit from the expertise and computational capabilities of workers to train DRL solutions. Model sharing could help users gain access to pre-trained models, shared by workers in return for incentives, which can help train new DRL solutions using methods in knowledge transfer. The DRLaaS framework is built on top of a Consortium Blockchain to enable traceable and autonomous execution. Smart Contracts are designed to manage worker and model allocation, which are stored using the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) to ensure tamper-proof data distribution. The framework is tested on several DRL applications, proving its efficacy.
This study analyzes the application of code-generating Large Language Models in the creation of immutable Solidity smart contracts on the Ethereum Blockchain. Other works have previously analyzed Artificial Intelligence code generation abilities. This paper aims to expand this to a larger scope to include programs where security and efficiency are of utmost priority such as smart contracts. The hypothesis leading into the study was that LLMs in general would have difficulty in rigorously implementing security details in the code, which was shown through our results, but surprisingly generally succeeded in many common types of contracts. We also discovered a novel way of generating smart contracts through new prompting strategies.
The rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, big data analytics, and cloud computing have precipitated an unprecedented demand for computational resources. However, the current landscape of computational resource allocation is characterized by significant inefficiencies, including underutilization and price volatility. This paper addresses these challenges by introducing a novel global platform for the commodification of compute hours, termed the Global Compute Exchange (GCX) (Patent Pending). The GCX leverages blockchain technology and smart contracts to create a secure, transparent, and efficient marketplace for buying and selling computational power. The GCX is built in a layered fashion, comprising Market, App, Clearing, Risk Management, Exchange (Offchain), and Blockchain (Onchain) layers, each ensuring a robust and efficient operation. This platform aims to revolutionize the computational resource market by fostering a decentralized, efficient, and transparent ecosystem that ensures equitable access to computing power, stimulates innovation, and supports diverse user needs on a global scale. By transforming compute hours into a tradable commodity, the GCX seeks to optimize resource utilization, stabilize pricing, and democratize access to computational resources. This paper explores the technological infrastructure, market potential, and societal impact of the GCX, positioning it as a pioneering solution poised to drive the next wave of innovation in commodities and compute.
CryptoGPT: a 7B model competing with GPT-4 in a specific task -- The Impact of Automatic Annotation and Strategic Fine-Tuning via QLoRAIn this article, we present a method aimed at refining a dedicated LLM of reasonable quality with limited resources in an industrial setting via CryptoGPT. It is an LLM designed for financial news analysis for the cryptocurrency market in real-time. This project was launched in an industrial context. This model allows not only for the classification of financial information but also for providing comprehensive analysis. We refined different LLMs of the same size such as Mistral-7B and LLama-7B using semi-automatic annotation and compared them with various LLMs such as GPT-3.5 and GPT-4. Our goal is to find a balance among several needs: 1. Protecting data (by avoiding their transfer to external servers), 2. Limiting annotation cost and time, 3. Controlling the model's size (to manage deployment costs), and 4. Maintaining better analysis quality.
The concept of Metaverse has attracted a lot of attention in various fields and one of its important applications is health and treatment. The Metaverse has enormous potential to transform healthcare by changing patient care, medical education, and the way teaching/learning and research are done. The purpose of this research is to provide an introduction to the basic concepts and fundamental technologies of the Metaverse. This paper examines the pros and cons of the Metaverse in healthcare context and analyzes its potential from the technology and AI perspective. In particular, the role of machine learning methods is discussed; We will explain how machine learning algorithms can be applied to the Metaverse generated data to gain better insights in healthcare applications. Additionally, we examine the future visions of the Metaverse in health delivery, by examining emerging technologies such as blockchain and also addressing privacy concerns. The findings of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of the applications of Metaverse in healthcare and its potential to revolutionize the delivery of medical services.
Recent advances in the field of large language models (LLMs), particularly the ChatGPT family, have given rise to a powerful and versatile machine interlocutor, packed with knowledge and challenging our understanding of learning. This interlocutor is a double-edged sword: it can be harnessed for a wide variety of beneficial tasks, but it can also be used to cause harm. This study explores the complicated interaction between ChatGPT and the growing problem of cryptocurrency fraud. Although ChatGPT is known for its adaptability and ethical considerations when used for harmful purposes, we highlight the deep connection that may exist between ChatGPT and fraudulent actions in the volatile cryptocurrency ecosystem. Based on our categorization of cryptocurrency frauds, we show how to influence outputs, bypass ethical terms, and achieve specific fraud goals by manipulating ChatGPT prompts. Furthermore, our findings emphasize the importance of realizing that ChatGPT could be a valuable instructor even for novice fraudsters, as well as understanding and safely deploying complex language models, particularly in the context of cryptocurrency frauds. Finally, our study underlines the importance of using LLMs responsibly and ethically in the digital currency sector, identifying potential risks and resolving ethical issues. It should be noted that our work is not intended to encourage and promote fraud, but rather to raise awareness of the risks of fraud associated with the use of ChatGPT.
Generative AI models, such as GPT-4 and Stable Diffusion, have demonstrated powerful and disruptive capabilities in natural language and image tasks. However, deploying these models in decentralized environments remains challenging. Unlike traditional centralized deployment, systematically guaranteeing the integrity of AI model services in fully decentralized environments, particularly on trustless blockchains, is both crucial and difficult. In this paper, we present a new inference paradigm called \emph{proof of quality} (PoQ) to enable the deployment of arbitrarily large generative models on blockchain architecture. Unlike traditional approaches based on validating inference procedures, such as ZKML or OPML, our PoQ paradigm focuses on the outcome quality of model inference. Using lightweight BERT-based cross-encoders as our underlying quality evaluation model, we design and implement PQML, the first practical protocol for real-world NLP generative model inference on blockchains, tailored for popular open-source models such as Llama 3 and Mixtral. Our analysis demonstrates that our protocol is robust against adversarial but rational participants in ecosystems, where lazy or dishonest behavior results in fewer benefits compared to well-behaving participants. The computational overhead of validating the quality evaluation is minimal, allowing quality validators to complete the quality check within a second, even using only a CPU. Preliminary simulation results show that PoQ consensus is generated in milliseconds, 1,000 times faster than any existing scheme.
With the growing need to comply with privacy regulations and respond to user data deletion requests, integrating machine unlearning into IoT-based federated learning has become imperative. Traditional unlearning methods, however, often lack verifiable mechanisms, leading to challenges in establishing trust. This paper delves into the innovative integration of blockchain technology with federated learning to surmount these obstacles. Blockchain fortifies the unlearning process through its inherent qualities of immutability, transparency, and robust security. It facilitates verifiable certification, harmonizes security with privacy, and sustains system efficiency. We introduce a framework that melds blockchain with federated learning, thereby ensuring an immutable record of unlearning requests and actions. This strategy not only bolsters the trustworthiness and integrity of the federated learning model but also adeptly addresses efficiency and security challenges typical in IoT environments. Our key contributions encompass a certification mechanism for the unlearning process, the enhancement of data security and privacy, and the optimization of data management to ensure system responsiveness in IoT scenarios.
In an era dominated by the Internet of Things, ensuring the longevity and sustainability of IoT devices has emerged as a pressing concern. This study explores the various complex difficulties which contributed to the early decommissioning of IoT devices and suggests methods to improve their lifespan management. By examining factors such as security vulnerabilities, user awareness gaps, and the influence of fashion-driven technology trends, the paper underscores the need for legislative interventions, consumer education, and industry accountability. Additionally, it explores innovative approaches to improving IoT longevity, including the integration of sustainability considerations into architectural design through requirements engineering methodologies. Furthermore, the paper discusses the potential of distributed ledger technology, or blockchain, to promote transparent and decentralized processes for device provisioning and tracking. This study promotes a sustainable IoT ecosystem by integrating technology innovation, legal change, and social awareness to reduce environmental impact and enhance resilience for the digital future
Leon Witt, Armando Teles Fortes, Kentaroh Toyoda, Wojciech Samek · 5 authors
Blockchain technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have emerged as transformative forces in their respective domains. This paper explores synergies and challenges between these two technologies. Our research analyses the biggest projects combining blockchain and AI, based on market capitalization, and derives a novel framework to categorize contemporary and future use cases. Despite the theoretical compatibility, current real-world applications combining blockchain and AI remain in their infancy.
This paper addresses the challenge of enhancing cybersecurity in Blockchain-based Internet of Things (BIoTs) systems, which are increasingly vulnerable to sophisticated cyberattacks. It introduces an AI-powered system model for the dynamic deployment of honeypots, utilizing an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) integrated with smart contract functionalities on IoT nodes. This model enables the transformation of regular nodes into decoys in response to suspicious activities, thereby strengthening the security of BIoT networks. The paper analyses strategic interactions between potential attackers and the AI-enhanced IDS through a game-theoretic model, specifically Bayesian games. The model focuses on understanding and predicting sophisticated attacks that may initially appear normal, emphasizing strategic decision-making, optimized honeypot deployment, and adaptive strategies in response to evolving attack patterns.
Analyzing social media trends can create a win-win situation for both creators and consumers. Creators can receive fair compensation, while consumers gain access to engaging, relevant, and personalized content. This paper proposes a new model for analyzing Bitcoin trends on Twitter by incorporating a 'liquid democracy' approach based on user reputation. This system aims to identify the most impactful trends and their influence on Bitcoin prices and trading volume. It uses a Twitter sentiment analysis model based on a reputation rating system to determine the impact on Bitcoin price change and traded volume. In addition, the reputation model considers the users' higher-order friends on the social network (the initial Twitter input channels in our case study) to improve the accuracy and diversity of the reputation results. We analyze Bitcoin-related news on Twitter to understand how trends and user sentiment, measured through our Liquid Rank Reputation System, affect Bitcoin price fluctuations and trading activity within the studied time frame. This reputation model can also be used as an additional layer in other trend and sentiment analysis models. The paper proposes the implementation, challenges, and future scope of the liquid rank reputation model.
Recent booming development of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) has facilitated model commercialization to reinforce the model performance, including licensing or trading Deep Neural Network (DNN) models. However, DNN model trading may violate the benefit of the model owner due to unauthorized replications or misuse of the model. Model identity auditing is a challenging issue in protecting DNN model ownership, and verifying the integrity and ownership of models is one of the critical obstacles. In this paper, we focus on the above issue and propose an \underline{A}ccumulator-enabled \underline{A}uditing for \underline{D}ecentralized \underline{Id}entity of DNN \underline{M}odel (A2-DIDM) that utilizes blockchain and zero-knowledge techniques to protect data and function privacy while ensuring the lightweight on-chain ownership verification. The proposed model presents a scheme of identity records via configuring model weight checkpoints with zero-knowledge proofs, which incorporates predicates to capture incremental state changes in model weight checkpoints. Our scheme ensures both computational integrity and programmability in DNN training process so that the uniqueness of the weight checkpoint sequence in a DNN model is preserved. %to ensure the correctness of model identity auditing, so that the uniqueness of the weight checkpoint sequence in a DNN model is preserved. A2-DIDM also addresses privacy protections in decentralized identity. We systematically analyze the security and robustness of our proposed model and further evaluate the effectiveness and usability of auditing DNN model identities. The code is available at https://github.com/xtx123456/A2-DIDM.git.
Ye Liu, Yue Xue, Daoyuan Wu, Yuqiang Sun · 7 authors
Formal verification is a technique that can prove the correctness of a system with respect to a certain specification or property. It is especially valuable for security-sensitive smart contracts that manage billions in cryptocurrency assets. Although existing research has developed various static verification tools (or provers) for smart contracts, a key missing component is the automated generation of comprehensive properties, including invariants, pre-/post-conditions, and rules. Hence, industry-leading players like Certora have to rely on their own or crowdsourced experts to manually write properties case by case. With recent advances in large language models (LLMs), this paper explores the potential of leveraging state-of-the-art LLMs, such as GPT-4, to transfer existing human-written properties (e.g., those from Certora auditing reports) and automatically generate customized properties for unknown code. To this end, we embed existing properties into a vector database and retrieve a reference property for LLM-based in-context learning to generate a new property for a given code. While this basic process is relatively straightforward, ensuring that the generated properties are (i) compilable, (ii) appropriate, and (iii) verifiable presents challenges. To address (i), we use the compilation and static analysis feedback as an external oracle to guide LLMs in iteratively revising the generated properties. For (ii), we consider multiple dimensions of similarity to rank the properties and employ a weighted algorithm to identify the top-K properties as the final result. For (iii), we design a dedicated prover to formally verify the correctness of the generated properties. We have implemented these strategies into a novel LLM-based property generation tool called PropertyGPT. Our experiments show that PropertyGPT can generate comprehensive and high-quality properties, achieving an 80% recall compared to the ground truth. It successfully detected 26 CVEs/attack incidents out of 37 tested and also uncovered 12 zero-day vulnerabilities, leading to $8,256 in bug bounty rewards.
There is a need for a simulation framework, which is develop as a software using modern engineering approaches (e.g., modularity --i.e., model reuse--, testing, continuous development and continuous integration, automated management of builds, dependencies and documentation) and agile principles, (1) to make rapid prototyping of industrial cases and (2) to carry out their feasibility analysis in a realistic manner (i.e., to test hypothesis by simulating complex experiments involving large numbers of participants of different types acting in one or several blockchain systems).
Most concurrent blockchain systems rely heavily on the Proof-of-Work (PoW) or Proof-of-Stake (PoS) mechanisms for decentralized consensus and security assurance. However, the substantial energy expenditure stemming from computationally intensive yet meaningless tasks has raised considerable concerns surrounding traditional PoW approaches, The PoS mechanism, while free of energy consumption, is subject to security and economic issues. Addressing these issues, the paradigm of Proof-of-Useful-Work (PoUW) seeks to employ challenges of practical significance as PoW, thereby imbuing energy consumption with tangible value. While previous efforts in Proof of Learning (PoL) explored the utilization of deep learning model training SGD tasks as PoUW challenges, recent research has revealed its vulnerabilities to adversarial attacks and the theoretical hardness in crafting a byzantine-secure PoL mechanism. In this paper, we introduce the concept of incentive-security that incentivizes rational provers to behave honestly for their best interest, bypassing the existing hardness to design a PoL mechanism with computational efficiency, a provable incentive-security guarantee and controllable difficulty. Particularly, our work is secure against two attacks, and also improves the computational overhead from $Θ(1)$ to $O(\frac{\log E}{E})$. Furthermore, while most recent research assumes trusted problem providers and verifiers, our design also guarantees frontend incentive-security even when problem providers are untrusted, and verifier incentive-security that bypasses the Verifier's Dilemma. By incorporating ML training into blockchain consensus mechanisms with provable guarantees, our research not only proposes an eco-friendly solution to blockchain systems, but also provides a proposal for a completely decentralized computing power market in the new AI age.
We present a novel multi-agent simulator named Multi-Agent eXperimenter (MAX) that is designed to simulate blockchain experiments involving large numbers of agents of different types acting in one or several environments. The architecture of MAX is highly modular, enabling easy addition of new models.
Dipika Jha, Ankit K. Bhagat, Raju Halder, Rajendra N. Paramanik · 5 authors
This paper presents a comprehensive Decentraland parcels dataset, called IITP-VDLand, sourced from diverse platforms such as Decentraland, OpenSea, Etherscan, Google BigQuery, and various Social Media Platforms. Unlike existing datasets which have limited attributes and records, IITP-VDLand offers a rich array of attributes, encompassing parcel characteristics, trading history, past activities, transactions, and social media interactions. Alongside, we introduce a key attribute in the dataset, namely Rarity score, which measures the uniqueness of each parcel within the virtual world. Addressing the significant challenge posed by the dispersed nature of this data across various sources, we employ a systematic approach, utilizing both available APIs and custom scripts, to gather it. Subsequently, we meticulously curate and organize the information into four distinct fragments: (1) Characteristics, (2) OpenSea Trading History, (3) Ethereum Activity Transactions, and (4) Social Media. We envisage that this dataset would serve as a robust resource for training machine- and deep-learning models specifically designed to address real-world challenges within the domain of Decentraland parcels. The performance benchmarking of more than 20 state-of-the-art price prediction models on our dataset yields promising results, achieving a maximum R2 score of 0.8251 and an accuracy of 74.23% in case of Extra Trees Regressor and Classifier. The key findings reveal that the ensemble models perform better than both deep learning and linear models for our dataset. We observe a significant impact of coordinates, geographical proximity, rarity score, and few other economic indicators on the prediction of parcel prices.
The Internet of Vehicles (IoV) is a crucial technology for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) that integrates vehicles with the Internet and other entities. The emergence of 5 G and the forthcoming 6 G networks presents an enormous potential to transform the IoV by enabling ultra-reliable, low-latency, and high-bandwidth communications. Nevertheless, as connectivity expands, cybersecurity threats have become a significant concern. The issue has been further exacerbated by the rising number of zero-day (0-day) attacks, which can exploit unknown vulnerabilities and bypass existing Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs). In this paper, we propose Zero-X, an innovative security framework that effectively detects both 0-day and N-day attacks. The framework achieves this by combining deep neural networks with Open-Set Recognition (OSR). Our approach introduces a novel scheme that uses blockchain technology to facilitate trusted and decentralized federated learning (FL) of the Zero-X framework. This scheme also prioritizes privacy preservation, enabling both CAVs and Security Operation Centers (SOCs) to contribute their unique knowledge while protecting the privacy of their sensitive data. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work to leverage OSR in combination with privacy-preserving FL to identify both 0-day and N-day attacks in the realm of IoV. The in-depth experiments on two recent network traffic datasets show that the proposed framework achieved a high detection rate while minimizing the false positive rate. Comparison with related work showed that the Zero-X framework outperforms existing solutions.
In the realm of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the need for privacy and security in data processing has become paramount. As AI applications continue to expand, the collection and handling of sensitive data raise concerns about individual privacy protection. Federated Learning (FL) emerges as a promising solution to address these challenges by enabling decentralized model training on local devices, thus preserving data privacy. This paper introduces FLEX: a FLEXible Federated Learning Framework designed to provide maximum flexibility in FL research experiments. By offering customizable features for data distribution, privacy parameters, and communication strategies, FLEX empowers researchers to innovate and develop novel FL techniques. The framework also includes libraries for specific FL implementations including: (1) anomalies, (2) blockchain, (3) adversarial attacks and defences, (4) natural language processing and (5) decision trees, enhancing its versatility and applicability in various domains. Overall, FLEX represents a significant advancement in FL research, facilitating the development of robust and efficient FL applications.
Qin Wang, Guangsheng Yu, Yilin Sai, H. M. N. Dilum Bandara · 5 authors
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) integrates into diverse areas, particularly in content generation, ensuring rightful ownership and ethical use becomes paramount, AI service providers are expected to prioritize responsibly sourcing training data and obtaining licenses from data owners. However, existing studies primarily center on safeguarding static copyrights, which simply treat metadata/datasets as non-fungible items with transferable/trading capabilities, neglecting the dynamic nature of training procedures that can shape an ongoing trajectory. In this paper, we present \textsc{IBis}, a blockchain-based framework tailored for AI model training workflows. Our design can dynamically manage copyright compliance and data provenance in decentralized AI model training processes, ensuring that intellectual property rights are respected throughout iterative model enhancements and licensing updates. Technically, \textsc{IBis} integrates on-chain registries for datasets, licenses and models, alongside off-chain signing services to facilitate collaboration among multiple participants. Further, \textsc{IBis} provides APIs designed for seamless integration with existing contract management software, minimizing disruptions to established model training processes. We implement \textsc{IBis} using Daml on the Canton blockchain. Evaluation results showcase the feasibility and scalability of \textsc{IBis} across varying numbers of users, datasets, models, and licenses.
Suppakit Waiwitlikhit, Ion Stoica, Yi Sun, Tatsunori Hashimoto · 5 authors
There is an increasing conflict between business incentives to hide models and data as trade secrets, and the societal need for algorithmic transparency. For example, a rightsholder wishing to know whether their copyrighted works have been used during training must convince the model provider to allow a third party to audit the model and data. Finding a mutually agreeable third party is difficult, and the associated costs often make this approach impractical. In this work, we show that it is possible to simultaneously allow model providers to keep their model weights (but not architecture) and data secret while allowing other parties to trustlessly audit model and data properties. We do this by designing a protocol called ZkAudit in which model providers publish cryptographic commitments of datasets and model weights, alongside a zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) certifying that published commitments are derived from training the model. Model providers can then respond to audit requests by privately computing any function F of the dataset (or model) and releasing the output of F alongside another ZKP certifying the correct execution of F. To enable ZkAudit, we develop new methods of computing ZKPs for SGD on modern neural nets for simple recommender systems and image classification models capable of high accuracies on ImageNet. Empirically, we show it is possible to provide trustless audits of DNNs, including copyright, censorship, and counterfactual audits with little to no loss in accuracy.