Lately, I've been thinking a lot about AI-generated content. As the trend of AIGC is rapidly expanding, I'm curious about how far this technology has come and what the future holds.

Basically, AIGC refers to technology that uses artificial intelligence to generate content. It covers all formats such as text, images, audio, and video. There are concepts like PGC and UGC, but AIGC is emerging as a new category different from those. Since the advent of ChatGPT, its potential has become more tangible. The fact that it surpassed 100 million monthly active users in just one month speaks to the enormous demand.

Looking back at the history of this technology, the proposal of GANs (Generative Adversarial Networks) in 2014 was a turning point. The approach where a generative model and a discriminative model compete and learn from each other became one of the earliest practical frameworks for AIGC. Later, in 2020, a platform called Art Blocks appeared. As the first successful example of programmable generative art on the Ethereum blockchain, it demonstrated the fusion of Web3 and AI.

For creators, the process involves adjusting their art scripts in advance, deploying them, and verifying that the output and input are correct before saving the script to the network through the tool. For collectors, when a specific piece is minted, a random hash value is generated, and a unique NFT corresponding to that hash is created.

A few years ago, a major exchange officially announced its first AI product. It allowed users to add descriptions, and using AI technology, generate new NFTs from their personal works. In the blockchain space, it gained attention as the first implementation of an "image-for-image" application.

Until 2021, AIGC was mainly limited to text generation, but the new generation models now support multi-format capabilities, including text, sound, images, videos, and actions. They are now able to maximize technical advantages in creativity, expression, repetition, communication, and personalization.

The speed of AIGC's evolution in recent years is truly astonishing. It was still an immature technology a few years ago, but it reached a professional level almost simultaneously. The quality of generated results has also become sufficiently realistic.

From the perspective of metaverse implementation, the maturation of AIGC is highly significant. Until now, the metaverse remained a conceptual discussion, but combining it with AIGC makes practical implementation possible. With AI's help, the labor consumption in the production process can be greatly reduced, enabling the high-efficiency creation of high-quality content. A metaverse with infinite applications and imagination will develop rapidly.

At some point in the future, there is a strong possibility that virtual chips will appear, allowing users to explore virtual worlds infinitely. By then, just like ChatGPT today, fueled by curiosity and fresh experiences, we could usher in a new era of Web3.0 and open up a new age of the metaverse. I am convinced that AIGC will be a crucial piece of that puzzle.