Recently, I've been paying attention to an interesting phenomenon: the entire Web3 industry’s job structure is quietly changing.

The advent of generative AI and automation tools is redefining which jobs are worth existing. I’ve noticed that some previously in-demand positions are clearly declining. For example, junior Solidity developers—AI programming tools can now generate standardized code like ERC-20 contracts and NFT contracts within minutes, and can also perform basic testing and logical checks. Companies are starting to prefer having senior architects review and optimize AI-generated code rather than hiring a bunch of junior developers.

The same impact is hitting Web3 research analysts. Industry research, data processing, and report writing that used to require manual effort can now be quickly handled by AI—analyzing on-chain data, simulating tokenomics models, and automatically generating structured market reports. Community management and customer service are also being replaced by AI—24/7 automated responses, real-time multilingual translation, spam filtering—these repetitive tasks are gradually no longer needing human labor.

The most obvious change is in crypto trading. AI can process massive amounts of market data in a very short time, executing high-frequency trading, arbitrage, and risk control—far faster and more stable than human traders, at a lower cost. NFT creators are also under pressure—generative AI can produce large volumes of visual content quickly, lowering the barrier to creation but increasing market competition. Creators lacking unique ideas and brand value are losing their competitive edge.

But this doesn’t mean the Web3 industry is shrinking. On the contrary, a whole new set of roles is emerging. The integration of AI and Web3 is creating new demand structures.

AI × Web3 architects have now become core roles. These positions require designing collaborative architectures between AI and blockchain systems, establishing interaction mechanisms between AI agents and smart contracts, and planning decentralized AI network infrastructure. The requirements are high—candidates need expertise in blockchain infrastructure, AI models, distributed computing, and cryptoeconomics.

AI agent training coordinators are also gaining popularity. As multi-agent systems become more prevalent in the Web3 ecosystem, projects need specialists to define cooperation rules between agents, design behavior constraints, and optimize decision-making logic in DeFi and DAO scenarios. This is more about AI behavior management and system governance.

Web3 prompt engineers are another new role. Designing complex prompts to generate smart contract code, building automated AI research workflows, and optimizing AI and blockchain system interactions—all require professional prompt engineering skills, not just simple command design.

On-chain data analysts have also upgraded. Blockchain generates vast amounts of public data daily, and AI can help analyze fund flows, monitor market trends, identify suspicious transactions, and predict ecosystem development. This role combines data science background with blockchain analysis skills.

The importance of smart contract security experts is rising. As AI code generation becomes widespread, vulnerability detection becomes more complex. Experts are needed to use AI tools to find code vulnerabilities, design automated auditing systems, and simulate attack paths. This is considered one of the fastest-growing roles in the future of Web3.

There’s also the role of Web3 automation strategy designers—developing automated profit strategies, arbitrage systems, and risk control algorithms within DeFi ecosystems, designing intelligent asset allocation strategies. This combines financial modeling, algorithm design, and blockchain technology.

The overall industry trend is clear: team sizes are shrinking because automation tools can handle many repetitive tasks. But at the same time, the demand for multidisciplinary talent is rising—future Web3 professionals need to understand blockchain, AI, and data analysis. The importance of high-level roles like system architects, economic model designers, and security engineers continues to grow.

AI isn’t weakening Web3’s development potential; it might actually propel the entire industry into a new stage. Those with real technical depth and innovative ability will become the most scarce resources in the future Web3 ecosystem. Recently, I’ve also seen more discussions about Web3-related assets on Gate—if you’re interested, you can check out the market trends.