Why do AI applications resonate more with users than crypto applications?

Original author: rm

Original translation: TechFlow

Im in San Francisco right now, and yesterday I got in one of Googles self-driving taxis, Waymo, again, and was amazed at how used I was to the fact that no one was driving. Its incredible when you think about it - what seemed like science fiction not long ago is now part of life, at least here. We already live in a future where self-driving cars cruise down our streets with ease, and its no longer a novelty.

It’s not just these cars that are evolving—we’re evolving too. Almost imperceptibly, we’ve adapted to a world where the extraordinary has become ordinary. Technologies that once seemed fanciful are now integrated into every aspect of our lives. This transformation exemplifies how the future is quietly merging into ordinary life, and it says as much about where we’re headed as it does about the nature of technology.

The Internet is like that self-driving car—it’s already running, powered by AI, and delivering real, concrete results. AI isn’t just emerging, it’s already taken over, smoothly integrated into our daily lives, and becoming an integral part of our lives. Meanwhile, blockchain is still operating in the background, trying to prove its worthiness to be on the road.

AI is the powerful engine that drives this journey. It’s personal, it’s effective, and it’s real. Whether it’s Claude, ChatGPT, Midjourney, or the latest AI tools, AI has captured our imagination from the beginning and delivered on many of its promises. There’s an intense, almost magical connection when AI understands you, anticipates your needs, or creates something that didn’t exist a moment ago. This experience makes you feel like the future is within your grasp. Although there are still bugs and sometimes delays, it allows us to imagine where it might go in the future.

Blockchain, by contrast, appears more academic and theoretical, a potential that has yet to find widespread application in everyday life. It’s like an electric engine that has yet to find its Tesla or Prius, an impressive technology that is still searching for practical applications beyond purely ideological promises. We hear promises of decentralization, transparency, and new forms of trust, but they still seem abstract and distant. For the average Westerner, blockchain is more of a solution in search of a problem than a tool that makes life easier. This is not to say that blockchain isn’t useful or can’t play a role in many cases—just look at how stablecoins are gaining widespread adoption in regions suffering from hyperinflation. But even so, the focus is on the stablecoins themselves, not the blockchain technology behind them.

Let’s continue with the metaphor. Imagine that a self-driving car represents the future of the internet, driving you to your destination smoothly and effortlessly. So what powers it? In reality, it’s like an electric skateboard – a platform with wheels and a battery, that’s its basic components. Blockchain is like such an electric skateboard: a powerful, innovative foundation with huge potential. However, without compelling use cases and the right applications, it’s just a platform waiting to be transformed. Especially because, like electric cars, it has not yet reached full parity with traditional technologies. In everyday use, internal combustion engines and hybrids are often still the better choice for practical reasons.

People buy electric cars for more than just the advanced engines. Some choose electric cars because they believe in the vision of technological futurism, others are attracted to the climate narrative and choose to reduce emissions and move towards sustainability. And some just want the latest and coolest product on the market. The motivations vary, but at the end of the day, everyone wants the same outcome: to get from point A to point B efficiently and with minimal hassle (AI reduces the workload of driving). Blockchain needs to find ways to provide similar clear value - it must be as efficient and practical as what we already have through centralized clouds and services, and become an integral part of our daily lives. In daily life, ideology is often not enough to support decision-making; unless faced with great pain (such as hyperinflation), decisions are often based on ideology, beliefs, or are seen as toys or luxuries.

The problem is that blockchain still lacks the everyday infrastructure it needs to truly take off. Just as electric cars need charging stations on every corner, blockchain needs the same type of practical, everyday support— a network of services and tools that fit seamlessly into our lives. We need more than just the technology itself; we need the roads, the signs, the gas stations of the blockchain world— user-friendly apps, seamlessly integrated systems that slip quietly into our daily lives. The key is to make blockchain as common and necessary as Wi-Fi or smartphones—an invisible part of our daily lives. But this transformation won’t happen overnight. It requires abstracting away and hiding all the complexity and responsibility that can come with new technology. We want everyday things to be simpler, not more work.

Blockchain needs a Tesla 3 moment — a breakthrough that not only proves the technology’s worth, but also makes it both attractive and practical for the masses. When blockchain is no longer exclusive to the technical elite or the ideologically driven, or those who are willing to take complex steps to solve huge real-world problems, it will be available to everyone. Until then, we should focus on building solutions that make sense today, rather than just pursuing dreams of the future. Because while we wait for a breakthrough, let’s not forget that the Prius is still selling well as a hybrid solution that connects the old with the new. The future of blockchain may depend largely on whether it can find a practical, user-friendly middle ground before entering the realm of mass production.

Don’t lose sight of what really drives us in our daily lives. It ’s cool, inspiring, and necessary to think of blockchain as an electric skateboard under the hood—full of potential, but still needing the right vehicle to make an impact on the road. The future may be filled with self-driving cars, but it’s the engine underneath that determines how far and how fast we can go. However, we’re still in a transition period, and the decision-making level of electric vehicles, hybrids, or internal combustion engines is different than just wanting to get from point A to point B.

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