Introduction to AI & Crypto

Artificial intelligence and blockchains solve different problems — pattern recognition at scale versus shared, tamper-resistant state — but they share a dependency on data, compute, and trust. AI needs vast training sets and GPU hours; crypto needs verifiable coordination without a central operator.

Big Tech AI is centralized by default — closed weights, proprietary datasets, and API billing through a handful of providers. Crypto offers an alternative framing: open markets for compute, transparent provenance for training data, and programmable money for autonomous software.

This course maps the intersection from first principles through compute markets, data rights, on-chain agents, DeFi automation, generative NFTs, verifiable inference, token design, risks, and where the stack is heading.