I've been following this debate about AI and crypto for a while, and there's one thing that always bothers me: people assume that criticizing Web3 AI means preferring Web2 AI. That's not quite accurate.

What really matters is understanding that these two worlds don't need to compete directly. The question is: where can Web3 truly innovate?

Looking at the market, you can see that Web3 AI projects promised a lot and delivered little. Tokens of projects that were mainstream are now close to zero, and both new and old participants have left the space. Why? Because there was a lack of genuine technical innovation and consistent Web3 narratives. Meanwhile, Web2 AI continues advancing in talent, practical innovation, and scalability.

But here’s the point: Web3 doesn’t need to copy Web2. The path is different. It should focus on areas where Web2 doesn’t want to enter — decentralized trust structures, incentive network design, on-chain components beyond the computing layer. These are Web3’s natural strengths.

The true meaning of AI + Crypto isn’t to revolutionize human technology; it’s to revitalize old narratives that were overly speculative, using AI as a new catalyst for productivity. Both Web2 developers entering the AI space and Web3 developers seeking to innovate need to leverage tokenomics, decentralization, and resource advantages that only Web3 offers.

Web2 AI agents gained prominence because they dominate and scale well, offering an experience leap that Web3 agents still can’t match. Recognizing this is important. But the future will inevitably intersect these two areas, and that’s where Web3 can showcase its unique advantages — if it manages to innovate where it truly matters.