Four Cutting-Edge Web3 Projects Blending Blockchain and AI
Not content to tinker with one groundbreaking technology, big brains around the world are increasingly creating a potent brew using two: blockchain and AI. And their ingenious endeavors are rewriting the rule-book across multiple industries, delivering efficiencies in everything from smart contract execution to data processing.
With the global AI market projected to hit $4.8 trillion by 2033, and blockchain adoption continuing to soar, a Cambrian explosion of innovation is underway. Let’s dive into five projects combining blockchain and AI to push the boundaries.
Octane: AI-Powered Blockchain Security
AI cybersecurity startup Octane recently emerged from stealth promising to tackle one of web3’s major pain points: smart contract vulnerabilities. The New York-based firm leverages machine learning to pore over on-chain smart contracts, identifying and fixing bugs before they can be exploited – an urgent need given that hacks drain billions from DeFi every year. Octane recently raised $6.75 million in a seed round co-led by Archetype and Winklevoss Capital, with Tyler Winklevoss noting the platform “allows devs to battle-test their smart contract code with AI-powered security testing before it hits production on the blockchain.”
Looking ahead, Octane plans to expand its AI-driven threat detection to off-chain codebases. For Web3 devs, it’s a potential lifeline in a cut-throat industry where a single exploit can tank a project.
Space and Time (SxT): Trustless AI for DeFi
Space and Time (SxT) is a verifiable compute layer on a mission to supercharge DeFi and on-chain AI. Founded in LA in 2022, it equips developers with the data, infrastructure, and tools they need to build data-driven smart contracts, ensuring trust through zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs). Last year, the project raised $20m in a funding round led by Microsoft’s M12, before launching SxT Chain, a blockchain designed for ZK-proven data that’s capable of interfacing with Bitcoin and Ethereum.
SxT’s impact during its short lifespan has been impressive, with its ecosystem now including over 100 projects and its community boasting half a million members. A notable recent milestone was a partnership with decentralized AI-as-a-Service cloud Heurist, with the pair collaborating to build a trustless “web3 intelligence layer.” With its focus on verifiable computation, SxT is helping developers engineer the next generation of impactful DeFi and AI-driven dApps.
Alien Worlds: AI-Driven Tokenized Sci-Fi Lore
Alien Worlds is a sci-fi metaverse gaming ecosystem redefining player engagement through blockchain and AI. Built on WAX, Ethereum and BNB Chain, its core mining game compels players to extract its native token, Trilium, using mining rigs composed of NFT ‘tools’. There are also a variety of mini-games leveraging the game’s rich lore and NFTs, and AI plays a starring role thanks to the Lynx Large Lore Model, an AI-powered Discord bot that handles user queries. Players also tap into AI to craft stories for the game’s tokenized lore system.
Primary contributor Dacoco, meanwhile, employs AI algorithms and machine learning to analyze on-chain player data to level up user experience. This data-driven approach ensures the ecosystem’s games and events are tailored to player behavior. With its blend of AI-generated content and blockchain ownership, the metaverse offers a glimpse into the future of gaming, where players aren’t just participants but co-creators in a community-driven content franchise.
Fetch.ai: Autonomous Agents and AI Cars
A member of the Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (ASI), Fetch.ai is a blockchain-based platform that empowers users to create autonomous AI agents using LLMs, AI/ML models, API calls, or custom logic. These agents can then be put to work on tasks like DeFi arbitrage and supply chain management. Last year, Fetch.ai partnered with Imperial College London’s I-X Hub to launch a $10 million fund for AI startups, granting researchers and students access to its tech stack for real-world applications.
A recent collaboration with luxury automaker Mansory, meanwhile, shows Fetch.ai’s application extends beyond the world of web3. By integrating its LLM ASI-1 Mini into Mansory’s high-performance vehicles, the project is developing predictive tools for intelligent route planning, diagnostics, and proactive service recommendations.
Blockchain’s decentralized, tamper-proof nature pairs perfectly with AI’s relentless data-crunching prowess. As more sectors embrace the synergy, a fresh wave of projects is coming to the fore, proving once and for all that web3 and AI are a match made in heaven.