"AI will completely change the way humans think within 30 years." 

This statement was made by the CEO of SoftBank, Masayoshi Son. It's not 30 years yet but Mr Masayoshi's take is becoming reality. Since the turn of the year, the only narrative populating the media has been that of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and rightly so I should say. 

Artificial intelligence refers to a computer's or a robot controlled by a computer's ability to perform tasks normally associated with humans. AI is the production of systems that exhibit intellectual qualities similar to humans like learning from past experiences, the ability to reason, generalizing etc. Another technology that has grown in leaps and bounds alongside AI is the blockchain. Side-by-side, these are two disruptive technologies, impacting the trajectory of people's lives in the last decade and will continue to do so over the next one. 

The global artificial intelligence market was valued at $58.15 billion in 2021. This figure is expected to reach $271.48 billion by 2027, registering a 31.45% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) during the forecast period of 2022 - 2027. This is according to Mordor Intelligence, a market intelligence and advisory firm. In the same vein, with an increase from $3 billion in 2020 to $39.7 billion in 2025, the blockchain market is estimated to experience a 67.3% increase in its CAGR. 

Hailed as two of the best technological advancements to date, artificial intelligence sees its applications in a wide range of industries which ranges from medicine to finance, to commercial organizations. Blockchain technology is a decentralized, immutable ledger that makes it easier to record transactions and track digital assets in a business network. A blockchain's architecture makes it possible to trace and exchange practically anything that may be of substantial value while reducing risk and costs. 

AI & Blockchain Technology 

Understanding, manoeuvring, and implementing investment strategies require a lot of dedication and hard work. These traders and investors are increasingly looking at artificial intelligence to help make trading and investing in the crypto space worthwhile, especially as more tech tools become accessible. 

AI and Blockchain technology are two powerful and formidable pieces of tech, and they've shaken up and enhanced almost all the industries in which they are used. Because cryptocurrencies are built using blockchain technology, AI can be used on the blockchain to help out with different issues. For example, Artificial intelligence is now being deployed in the security architecture of the blockchain. A company at the forefront of this is SynergyAI. 

SynergyAI is building a platform that utilizes artificial intelligence to protect blockchain users from being defrauded in Decentralized Finance (DeFi). Synergy's mission is to provide affordable but sophisticated and super-advanced analysis and security tools to the everyday retail investor. 

With SynergyAI, investors will be able to discover projects before their peers, which will allow for the making of investment decisions based on the metrics provided by artificial intelligence, and evaluation of risks more accurately. This way, users will also be safeguarded from rug-pulls and other fraudulent activities by bad players in the space. SynergyAI's models scan smart contracts to identify relevant features that could prevent purchases or mint new tokens.

While artificial intelligence is an amazing concept and something that's set to change the world, it is generally not cheap (even with the best efforts of the guys at SynergyAI). AI is not affordable to most people and businesses except for large corporations. Not many researchers, individuals and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) cannot afford some of the resources needed to develop and apply technologies like AI which further widens the gap between the big institutions and everyone else. This is one of the negatives that NuNet is hoping to correct. 

NuNet allows for the optimal placement of AI processes, interfaces, and data within the global network, as well as the establishment of machine-to-machine payment and data streaming channels. NuNet is creating a global decentralized computer framework by combining the latent computing power of independently owned devices around the world into a dynamic marketplace of compute resources. Individuals will be rewarded through a tokenomic ecosystem based on the NuNet utility token NTX.

Another company that is successfully utilizing both AI and Blockchain technologies is OpenFabric AI. Known as the Layer-1 for artificial intelligence, OpenFabric is a company with a mission to introduce a powerful and exciting paradigm shift to how people perceive the field of AI. They are doing this by creating an ecosystem that sees innovation as its most valuable currency. OpenFabric provides a platform where participants from different backgrounds can contribute their quota of knowledge and skill to achieve success and solve complex problems through the use and power of AI solutions. 

We've seen the strides being taken in the merging of AI technology with blockchain technology. The immediate future points towards the fact that there would be many more products that will incorporate artificial intelligence and blockchain technology and I am excited about that. I however feel it is important that I talk about those companies that are still crushing it in their worlds. One such is Source Protocol. 

Source Protocol is a comprehensive blockchain technology suite that allows individuals, developers, and enterprises to easily develop decentralized applications. The ecosystem of this protocol includes a full DeFi suite, a rewards program for its members, and white-label integration capabilities with existing Web 2.0 platforms. Put simply, the protocol is an ecosystem that houses a wide-ranging technology that converts centralized web tools and other financial instruments into decentralized ones.

The Source chain is a public, permission-less, and interoperable blockchain network that allows enterprises, developers, and individuals to create and use scalable apps, smart contracts, and tools for the spread of Web 3.0 technologies, DeFi, NFTs, and other technologies.

Another company doing great is Avem blockchain. Avem blockchain aims to bring real-world assets onto the blockchain by using the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), like commodities, stocks, real estate, and fine art. Avem is a regulatory framework that helps projects build on their blockchain to ensure compliance with regulations and to help establish trust between network participants.

And then there is the Metaverse. The role of artificial intelligence in the Metaverse can not be overstated. Because AI is an important aspect of the technologies that combine to power machines to learn and act at a human-like level of intelligence, it becomes hugely important in the Metaverse. Metaverse ecosystem, Metafluence is an embodiment of this. 

Metafluence is a platform in the Metaverse that gives influencers the ability to monetize their influence, creativity and social media power in the Metaverse. This platform is the world's first influence-to-earn platform and it enables influencers, their audience and the brand they influence to thrive in Web 3. Ultimately, Metafluence's vision is to build an ecosystem in the Metaverse that is influencer-focused where social media influencers, their audiences and brands can engage in a transparent and incentivized manner with ease. 

Conclusion

AI and Blockchain technologies will play (are already playing) an integral part in the direction the world is headed. These technologies are important building blocks to solutions that produce authentic and customized experiences while solving real problems for people. AI and Blockchain tech has come to stay and there is a long way to go in discovering just how much of their respective potentials can be reached.