AI and Blockchain Convergence with Mariana de la Roche Wills

Artificial intelligence now influences decisions in health, justice, and finance. In this episode of inSUBSTANTIA, Gabor Farkas speaks with Mariana de la Roche Wills, Co Chair of INATBA’s AI and Blockchain Convergences Task Force and leader at BlackVogel. They explore how blockchain can enhance trust, transparency, and accountability in AI, the limits of decentralisation, and why human oversight remains essential.

🎙️ Blockchain and AI. Trust, fairness, and accountability with Mariana de la Roche Wills

Artificial intelligence now shapes decisions that affect real lives, from healthcare to criminal justice. How do we make sure these systems remain transparent, fair, and accountable. Can blockchain, often described as a trust machine, help us achieve that, or does it create new risks of its own.

In this episode of inSUBSTANTIA, Gabor Farkas speaks with Mariana de la Roche Wills, Co Chair of INATBA’s AI and Blockchain Convergences Task Force and leader at BlackVogel. Drawing from her background in law, human rights, and digital governance, Mariana explores how these two transformative technologies converge in practice, and what it takes to align them with human values.

💡 In this conversation

• How blockchain could enhance transparency and accountability in high stakes AI

• The paradox of privacy and traceability under GDPR

• Governance in decentralised systems and the limits of democracy in code

• Environmental impact and tokenisation beyond greenwashing

• Equity, inclusion, and the risk of digital colonialism

• Why human oversight must remain central in automated systems

⚙️ Editorial note

A technical issue affected the start of the recording. The introduction and Mariana’s first response were re recorded, so you may notice a small difference in tone at the beginning.

🎧 inSUBSTANTIA. Exploring ideas, challenging assumptions.