0273 - The Sanctuary Hypothesis by Jean-Fabrice Lebraty
From Design Talk (dot IE) by Allen Higgins
May 11, 2026 · 50 min · Season 13 · Episode 273
About this episode
The episode discusses the Sanctuary Hypothesis in Information Systems, focusing on how blockchain and AI can serve as strategic havens for non-dominant organisations.
CITO Seminar: The Sanctuary Hypothesis in Information Systems — Blockchain and AI as Strategic Havens for Non-Dominant Organisations Guest: Jean-Fabrice Lebraty Host: Donncha Kavanagh Recorded on Tuesday, September 23, 4:00 - 5:00pm in Q2.33 Lochlann Quinn School of Business, UCD Belfield Campus. Abstract This talk introduces a theory of dominant vs non-dominant organisations in digital ecosystems. Dominant actors shape standards, data flows, and platform rules; non-dominant actors operate under asymmetric dependency and limited control over technological stacks. I argue that, for the non-dominant, the core IS problem is not efficiency but survivability—the capacity to endure adverse, shifting, or hostile digital environments. Survivability requires a digital sanctuary: an infrastructure and set of practices that preserve critical informational assets beyond the reach of dominant gatekeepers. I then present two sanctuary technologies. First, blockchain, leveraging immutability, persistence, and verifiable anchoring to secure records and proofs against unilateral alteration. Second, AI via model-level embedding, where strategic data placement in training corpora…
People in this episode
Host: Donncha Kavanagh
Guest: Jean-Fabrice Lebraty
Topics covered
- digital ecosystems
- survivability
- blockchain
- AI
- information systems
- non-dominant organisations
Keywords
- digital sanctuary
- survivability
- blockchain
- AI
- model embedding
- information systems
- dominant organisations
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: UCD Belfield Campus
Places: Lochlann Quinn School of Business
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