Every industrial revolution revolves around two dimensions: one is the leap in productive forces itself, and the other is the supporting production relations and value distribution mechanisms that enable this leap.

Imagine the first Industrial Revolution. The steam engine transformed humanity’s ability to reshape the world—this was a breakthrough at the application level. But having machines alone was not enough; new organizational methods like factory systems and capitalism were needed to unleash these productive forces. That was the complete industrial revolution.

The current situation is similar but on a larger scale. AI is undoubtedly an unprecedented leap in productive forces—it enhances human capabilities at the cognitive and decision-making levels. But this is only the first half of the story. What is the second half? It is a new set of economic protocols and social organizational methods, which is exactly what cryptocurrency and blockchain are working on.

In other words, AI is solving the question of "what we can do," while blockchain is addressing "how we collaborate and how we distribute value." One is a revolution in productive forces, the other in production relations.

More interestingly, these two are not in competition but are complementary.

AI requires an efficient economic layer: AI services can be micro-paid via cryptocurrency for quick settlements; AI-generated digital assets can be registered and traded on-chain, breaking platform monopolies. From another perspective, everyone can be rewarded based on their contributions rather than being exploited layer by layer by intermediaries.

Blockchain needs AI empowerment: smart contracts can optimize execution efficiency through AI; analysis and risk control of on-chain data can be handled by AI; even governance mechanisms can be assisted by AI decision-making. AI is transforming blockchain from a cumbersome ledger into a truly intelligent economic system.

The ultimate vision of both is a radical one: decentralized artificial intelligence. The development, training, deployment, and value extraction of AI will no longer be monopolized by tech giants but maintained collectively by participants worldwide. Contributions are rewarded with tokens, and value is fairly distributed according to contribution. Such a system preserves AI’s powerful capabilities while mitigating potential inequalities caused by centralized power.

From an investment perspective, what are the key insights? Do not see AI and crypto as mutually exclusive choices. The real opportunity lies in projects and trends that can embrace both dimensions simultaneously—possessing powerful AI computing power and algorithms, as well as robust decentralized incentive mechanisms.

This is not "AI vs. crypto," but "AI × crypto." A smarter, more open, and more inclusive digital future requires the dance of both.