AI and crypto - the twain finally meet

FOR years, artificial intelligence and blockchain have evolved on parallel tracks - one centralised, opaque and capital-intensive; the other decentralised, transparent and permissionless.

But, in 2025 and beyond, these two technologies are finally colliding, giving rise to a new generation of applications that marry intelligent automation with on-chain infrastructure.

This isn’t a speculative trend anymore. It’s playing out across all projects - SingularityNET, Fetch.ai, Ocean Protocol and newer entrants such as TCWNN - each exploring different angles of the AI/crypto intersection.

And while their approaches vary, they all reflect a common belief: intelligence should not be siloed behind corporate APIs - it should be composable, ownable and decentralised.

AI, in its current form, is deeply centralised. The most powerful models are gated behind cloud platforms such as OpenAI, Google Cloud and AWS. Access is rented, not owned. Interoperability is low… and value creation accrues to a handful of incumbents.

Crypto, by contrast, is defined by openness. Smart contracts are public, composable and censorship-resistant. Governance can be transparent and community-driven. What happens when you combine the two?

It creates a world where AI agents live on-chain, governed by code, monetised via tokens and accessible to anyone with a wallet. Autonomous systems can interact directly with DeFi protocols, DAOs, data markets and users - without centralized gatekeepers in the middle.

This is the foundational thesis behind projects such as:

• SingularityNET: A decentralized marketplace for AI services, with token-based incentives and agent interoperability
  
  
• Fetch.ai: Autonomous economic agents that can perform tasks such as trading, logistics or data exchange on-chain
  
  
• Ocean Protocol: A framework for decentralised data sharing and AI training with granular control over data rights and monetisation
  
  

Together, these platforms are building the middleware for an autonomous, on-chain economy.

Enter TCWNN (The Coin With No Name), a relative newcomer to the space, but one that takes a more user-friendly approach. Instead of focusing on raw model deployment or deep infrastructure, TCWNN is building a no-code platform that allows users to create, deploy and monetise AI bots with minimal technical overhead.

Think Zapier meets ChatGPT meets Solana.

What makes TCWNN interesting is how it leverages blockchain not just for payment rails, but for execution, access control and governance. Its bots are powered by logic flows that are modular and reusable. Pre-built templates let users automate tasks across verticals: trading strategies, customer service bots, marketing content generators and more.

And because it runs on Solana, TCWNN benefits from ultra-low gas fees and sub-second transaction finality-critical for real-time automation at scale.

Like other crypto-native AI projects, TCWNN is building a decentralized AI marketplace where developers can license or sell bots and automation modules. Users can browse, plug in, or customise these tools - similar to a dApp store, but for AI logic.

Smart contracts handle transactions and access rights. The platform’s native token acts as both gas and governance; users pay for services, stake for rewards, and vote on proposals. A fixed supply of 1.5 billion tokens is paired with deflationary mechanics such as the usual token burns (via fees and subscriptions), staking rewards and DAO-based funding decisions.

This aligns well with similar ecosystems:

• AGIX (SingularityNET) powers AI service payments and governance
  
  
• FET (Fetch.ai) facilitates agent-to-agent transactions and staking
  
  
• OCEAN (Ocean Protocol) is used for data access, curation, and staking
  
  

In each case, the token isn’t just a speculative asset - it’s a utility layer that governs access, rewards contribution, and incentivises ecosystem health.

For this sector to mature, decentralisation alone isn’t enough. Smart contract security, compliance and upgradeability matter; especially for institutions.

TCWNN addresses this with audited contracts, upgradable modules and multi-sig controls. It will also integrate KYC/AML workflows and GDPR compliance, allowing for safe participation across jurisdictions. The idea isn’t to avoid regulation, it’s to make decentralised AI usable within regulated environments.

We’re already seeing this play out in Ocean Protocol’s enterprise partnerships, and SingularityNET’s expansion into healthcare and robotics. TCWNN is likely to follow a similar path - first winning over creators and crypto-native teams, then onboarding traditional businesses that want to automate without surrendering control to 'Big Tech'.

AI is moving fast. LLMs are getting better, faster, and cheaper. But if we don’t decentralize access now, we risk a future where all intelligent infrastructure is privately owned, permissioned and surveilled.

That’s where crypto comes in: it has the tools to decentralise ownership, incentivise open collaboration, and build systems that are composable and sovereign by design.

What TCWNN and others are doing is lowering the barrier to entry - not just for developers, but for everyday users who want to automate their lives and businesses without giving up custody or control.

It’s the same impulse that drove DeFi, NFTs, and DAOs. But this time, it’s not just about value transfer or digital assets - it’s about programmable intelligence.

It’s still early. Most of these platforms are pre-mainnet or in early beta. Cross-chain support, decentralised hosting, AI governance and on-chain training are still works in progress.

But the foundations are being laid. The convergence of crypto and AI isn’t a gimmick; it’s a necessary evolution. If it is built right like the projects previously mentioned, it won’t just change automation. It will change who gets to participate in the future of intelligence itself.