How AI Is Different From Web3, Blockchain and Crypto

Artificial intelligence, Web3, cryptocurrencies and blockchain are some of the most talked-about technologies today, often described in a sweeping way as next-gen.

However, they’re fundamentally different in purpose, design and impact. Understanding how they differ — and how they can work together — is important to know how to best use them for your business.

Web3, short for Web 3.0, refers to the latest evolution of the internet. The first version of the web, or Web 1.0, consisted of read-only, static websites that offered basic online content. Web 2.0 brought interactivity, featuring social media and user-generated content, but it came with a tradeoff. Most of the data is centralized in the hands of gatekeepers — the tech giants.

Web3 aims to change that dynamic. Web3 is a decentralized web where users — not corporations, central banks or other central authorities — own their data, identities and digital assets. It enables peer-to-peer interactions without the need for intermediaries, using technologies like cryptocurrencies, smart contracts and decentralized apps to power everything from finance to gaming to social media.

Web3 is built on blockchain technology, a shared, immutable, distributed ledger system that records transactions across a network. All users see a single view of the ledger and the transactions recorded on it. Once data is added to a blockchain, it can’t be easily changed, enabling the building of trust in a system without needing a central authority like the Federal Reserve.

Financial transactions in this decentralized internet use cryptocurrencies. They are digital currencies such as bitcoin and Ethereum that are used in financial transactions without going through the banking system. Smart contracts make Web3 transactions work. They are bits of code that enforce rules and agreements automatically.

Cryptocurrencies are not backed by physical assets like gold, but some are pegged to fiat currencies like the U.S. dollar. They are traded on exchanges, but prices tend to be volatile. While criminals have used crypto for illegal activities, these only constituted 0.14% of all crypto transaction volume in 2024, according to Chainalysis. The majority are legal.

AI consists of algorithms and models designed to simulate human intelligence in machines. It can analyze data, recognize patterns, make decisions and create content — whether it’s recommending your next show on Netflix, chatting with you as a virtual assistant, or generating images and text.

Key subfields of AI include the following.

• Machine learning: Systems learn and improve over time from data.
• Natural language processing: Computers understand human language.
• Computer vision: Machines can see and interpret visual data.
• Generative AI: Software that can create original content.

Unlike Web3, AI systems are usually built and maintained by centralized entities. They rely on large datasets and computing power, often stored in cloud platforms or data centers owned by corporations.

Read also: What Is Artificial General Intelligence and Why It Matters to Business

While AI and Web3 belong to the broader category of emerging technologies, they serve different purposes. AI focuses on intelligence, automation and decision making, while Web3 emphasizes decentralization, transparency and user control.

AI systems are usually optimized for speed and performance, trained on datasets and deployed in centralized environments. Users typically must trust the model or the company behind it. AI is transforming industries like healthcare, finance and retail by making systems smarter and more efficient. It powers fraud detection, customer service chatbots, autonomous vehicles and predictive analytics, among other use cases.

Web3 systems, on the other hand, prioritize decentralized consensus, security and transparency. Users don’t have to trust each other in Web3, since it uses code, cryptography and distributed ledgers to enforce rules and record transactions publicly. Web3 is disrupting traditional finance, reinventing asset ownership with non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and laying the foundation for decentralized marketplaces.

Think of Web3 as a bookkeeping system that is open for everyone to check, while AI’s role is to quickly process the receipts that go into the ledger, for example. If Web3 were a car, AI would be the upgraded engine to make it run faster and more efficiently.

AI can also enhance automation and decision making in Web3 apps, detect fraudulent transactions in real time, or help a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) have better governance and strategic decision making. AI is a tool that helps Web3 run more efficiently.

There are several ways in which Web3, in turn, can strengthen AI. Blockchain can store and verify the data used to train AI models, making the training process more transparent. Data on the blockchain is reliable, and its cryptographic techniques enhance privacy, among other uses.

AI and Web3 are two emerging but different technologies. AI is about making systems more intelligent, while Web3 is about making the internet more open and decentralized. One thrives on centralized computation and pattern recognition; the other thrives on distributed consensus and trustless systems.

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