THE CONVERGENCE OF TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE, AND THE BEGINNING OF A DIGITAL REVOLUTION.
IAN ROGERS has been at the forefront of digital in- novation since the 1990s. After working in the music industry and for luxury brands such as LVMH, he is now Chief Experience Officer at Ledger, the French pioneer of hardware wallets.
SLEEK: You come from the worlds of music, fashion, and digital culture. How does this creative background shape your work?
IAN ROGERS: What I do today is very similar to what I was doing in the 1990s – only now I have far more experience. Back then, the internet was brand new. I followed my instincts, but I had no real points of reference. Today, after thirteen startups, my ability to recognise patterns is completely different. Moving from music into luxury industry was an important lesson: how does technology change culture? What does that mean for storytelling and brand building? You have to be tech-savvy enough to understand what’s happening in the world – that’s the intellectual challenge that drives me every day. At the same time, it’s important to reduce complexity for the end user. We easily forget that the internet was once difficult to access. Today, we are in a similar phase with digital assets. My job revolves around two pillars: first, bringing an Apple-like user experience to the crypto world. Second, storytelling and community building – not just creating a product, but a brand and a community.
S: How will digital ownership change the work of artists, designers, and brands in the coming years?
IR: You can’t look at this question without considering AI. AI will have an enormous impact on creativity. Digital assets and digital ownership are creating new ways to create and trade art. The problem of access to music has been solved – music is information, and information has already been liberated. It becomes interesting as a counterweight to AI: AI brings digital abundance, blockchains bring digital scarcity. It will become important to know the origin: Where does what I’m hearing come from? Who is the owner? What is the provenance? The aspect of proof and origin becomes central: How do you prove that a photo comes from your camera? That your voice has not been edited afterwards? These questions can be answered by blockchains and the tools for digital ownership.
S: What role will ledgers play when Web3, AI, and virtual identities converge?
IR: Imagine an AI agent works on your behalf, spending money in your name. Should the agent have access to all your bank accounts, credit cards, and logins? A personal security device would be better, with a secure screen on which you approve the agent’s actions. We have already seen AI being used for hacking on a large scale. For the rest of your life, you could call every year the worst year for cybercrime – without fact-checking, and you’d be right. This number is rising continuously. Ledger is crucial for securely owning value and identity without the risk of loss or misuse.
S: What developments will have the greatest impact on the way we create, own, and experience culture in five years?
IR: Imagine a world where digital ownership is ubiquitous and easy to use. It becomes part of what we do – like the internet. We used to talk about “digital marketing,” but today we just talk about marketing in a digital world. Today, things move at the speed and cost of bank rails. Tomorrow, they will move at the speed and cost of crypto rails. That will be the way we pay, the way merchants work. Their ability to verify digital proof of purchase or membership will become standard. Art Blocks already shows how a system can be built around ownership: different perks and values based on interaction. This creates incentives for deeper engagement. At Dr. Martens, where I sit on the board, you could say, “Thanks for your 1460s. Would you like your free digital collectible that identifies you as a community member?” This will become reality – like everything that was talked about and laughed at during the internet boom of 1999. Digital assets for ticketing, memberships, proof of purchase – in ten to fifteen years, this will be commonplace. Experience shows that it takes fifteen years from the moment something seems inevitable until it reaches the average consumer. Don’t expect it tomorrow – but work toward it. Otherwise, it will surprise you.
WE HAVE ALREADY SEEN AI BEING USED FOR HACKING ON A LARGE SCALE. FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, YOU COULD CALL EVERY YEAR THE WORST YEAR FOR CYBERCRIME - WITHOUT FACT-CHECKING, AND YOU'D BE RIGHT