The Web3 + AI Daily #18
Today's edition of The Web3 + AI Daily introduces a new, more context-rich format.
Hello, everyone!
This is The Web3 + AI Daily, your definitive guide into the world of Decentralized AI (DeAI)!
The Web3 + AI publication pivots once again. In an effort to better inform and educate you about the latest developments at the intersection of blockchain and AI, I'm moving away from short, bullet-point updates. Instead, going forward I'll try to provide more context and share my perspective to help make sense of the stories that matter most.
Thank you for being here! Let’s dive in.
What’s Hot in Web3 + AI?
Gaia Launches $GAIA, Releases White Paper
Gaia, the company building a distributed and incentivized AI agent network, released its native $GAIA token. Its purpose will be to power Gaia’s coordination layer, enabling domains, agents, and governance to interoperate without central control.
This marks a major step toward realizing Gaia’s mission: to build a sovereign intelligence infrastructure where developers, contributors, and users collectively govern and grow a decentralized AI ecosystem.
In short, the GAIA token is the glue that binds Gaia’s decentralized network into a cohesive, trustless ecosystem. Specifically, it’s used for:
Domain registration: Domains group trusted nodes, providing name-based access and routing.
Staking to support trusted domain operators: token staking aligns economic incentives and enforces quality.
DAO governance, ensuring permissionless participation.
Find the full white paper here.
Planck Launches Layer 0 for AI and DePIN
Planck is a new Layer‑0 blockchain designed for decentralized AI services. It connects a global GPU network across 30+ blockchains, offering up to 90% cheaper compute than cloud providers. Powered by the $PLANCK token, it supports staking, governance, and cross-chain AI infrastructure, aiming to become the foundation for scalable, low-cost AI in Web3.
Web3 + AI R&D and Innovation
Gradient Revealed Parallax for Distributed Inference on Everyday Devices
Gradient revealed Parallax: a truly distributed, P2P inference framework for running large language models (LLMs) on decentralized heterogeneous devices, from Macs and GPUs.
How is that possible? Parallelism. Parallax shards large models into pipeline stages, directly mapped to nodes across a P2P network. Hidden states flow between Macs and GPUs without a central coordinator, forming a globally distributed, self-healing inference fabric.
Web3 + AI Partnerships & Collaborations
PolyU and Ant Digital Technologies Form AI and Web3 Lab
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and Ant Digital Technologies joined forces to launch a joint lab on AI and Web3 in Hong Kong, aiming to become a global innovation hub. Ant will invest up to HKD100M over three years to support research and project incubation.
The lab will focus on: Trustworthy AI agents, AI-enhanced blockchain security, Data privacy verification. It will also create an “AI + Web3 Education Fund Platform” to nurture talent and host global seminars and competitions, supporting Hong Kong’s digital innovation ecosystem.
Web3 + AI Investment News
Grayscale Launches Decentralized AI and Story Trusts
Grayscale Investments launched a Decentralized AI fund for accredited investors to access AI-crypto tokens like Bittensor’s $TAO, NEAR Protocol‘s $NEAR, Filecoin Foundation‘s $FIL, and Render Network Foundation‘s $RNDR. This signals growing institutional interest in blockchain-based AI infrastructure.
In addition, Grayscale revealed its Story Trust. It’s one of the first investment vehicles that enables investors to gain exposure to the Story Protocol’s underlying token $IP, in the form of a security, while avoiding the challenges of buying, storing, and safekeeping $IP, directly.
AIxBlock Bags €1.5M from the EU
The European Union is backing AIxBlock, Inc as a decentralized alternative to centralized AI infrastructure. With its initial €1.5M grant and a €61.5M expansion pipeline, AIxBlock is positioned to build a transparent, scalable, and community-driven AI compute layer throughout Europe.
GAIB Raises $10M to Tokenize GPU Access
GAIB AI has raised $10 M in a strategic investment round led by Amber Group. This capital will be used to tokenize GPU infrastructure assets on GAIB’s platform, expanding institutional investment into the AI compute economy and making GPU-backed yields accessible to everyday investors.
This funding builds on GAIB’s momentum in 2025, including more than $28M in deposits via its AID Alpha program, which will convert into the AI-backed synthetic dollar AID. AID is designed to generate real-world yield from GPU financing deals and U.S. Treasuries and to be stakeable as sAID for passive income while preserving liquidity.
Web3 + AI Events
The Science of Blockchain Conference 2025 is Happening Now
Berkeley RDI‘s The Science of Blockchain Conference 2025 started yesterday in California, gathering researchers, builders, and thought leaders from the Web3 space. Make sure to watch the livestream and recordings below.
More
Sentient Announces Third Wave of Data Consortium Partners
Sentient Labs, building the largest network of intelligence in the world, announced the newest members of its Data Consortium. DappLooker AI | Agent Intelligence, Covalent, Cookie.fun, and Perle join 20+ data companies, whose specialized, high-fidelity datasets will power deeper context, sharper reasoning, and faster innovation across the Sentient ecosystem.
AI-Powered Crypto Scams are Booming
The New York Post reports that AI-driven crypto scams have surged 456%, especially in cities like NYC, using deepfakes, voice cloning, and fake identities to trick victims. Criminals have stolen millions by impersonating loved ones and executives. Experts warn that AI is making scams more convincing and harder to detect, urging extra caution when dealing with crypto-related messages or payments.
Thank you for reading! I hope you found this article insightful.
If you’d like to keep up with the latest developments at the burgeoning intersection of blockchain and AI, I invite you to subscribe.
And if you find value in my writing, consider supporting the newsletter. I’d greatly appreciate it.
The Web3 + AI Book Club is live on Fable. Follow the link below and come join our literary community.
I'm looking forward to connecting with fellow Crypto x AI enthusiasts, so don't hesitate to share your thoughts here or reach out on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Firefly.social.
Disclaimer: The content of this newsletter is provided for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing contained herein should be construed as financial advice or as a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any of the companies or assets mentioned.
Please don’t take my views at face value. Instead, do your own research (DYOR), think critically, and share your perspective so we can challenge ideas, learn from one another, and arrive at better conclusions through thoughtful discussion.