I sat down with content creator Dan for an in-depth conversation about my new book, Web4: The Age of Autonomous Intelligence. I have also grown increasingly frustrated with the decentralization bluff of Web3.
During our chat, we covered a lot of ground, from the bursting AI startup bubble and the rise of Chinese AI models to the regulatory gray areas of platforms like Hyperliquid. But at the core of our discussion was a singular vision: how AI can rescue crypto from its centralized flaws and usher in the era of Web4.
The Web3 Decentralization Bluff
Let us be honest: Web3 is not truly decentralized. When you look under the hood of most projects, the reality is that a handful of VCs and insiders hold the majority of the tokens. They sit in a room, make decisions, and call it a DAO. I have participated in too many governance votes to know that it is largely an illusion. When five entities hold all the power, the network is not decentralized but rather an oligarchy driven by capital and greed.
This centralization is dangerous. If those few individuals are brilliant, the project might survive, but if they make poor decisions, the entire ecosystem can collapse. We need a system that removes human bias and greed from the equation, which brings me to the core thesis of my book.
Enter Web4: AI as the Ultimate Governor
Web4 is the natural evolution of Web3, powered by autonomous intelligence. In my book, I propose a radical but necessary shift where AI must act as the connective and unbiased layer of governance. Imagine a system where the AI brain holds over 51 percent of the governance power.
The AI would not be swayed by insider greed or whale manipulation. Instead, it would analyze data, calculate probabilities, and present unbiased outcomes. The core team and the community would then debate and vote on these AI-generated proposals.
By combining the objective analysis of AI with human consensus, we can create a truly fair, decentralized, and resilient network. AI needs governance, but that governance must be decentralized rather than controlled by monopolized tech giants. By integrating Zero-Knowledge Machine Learning, we can also ensure privacy and verifiable AI computations on-chain.
The AI Landscape: Bubbles, Infrastructure, and the Chinese Advantage
We also discussed the current state of the AI industry. While top-tier AI companies are heading toward trillion-dollar IPOs, the second and third tiers are facing a harsh reality. The funding bubble is bursting as investors now demand tangible results instead of slick presentations.
Furthermore, vibe coding is flooding the space with low-effort projects, much like the memecoin craze. When it comes to the models themselves, the output of US frontier models and Chinese open-source models like Qwen or DeepSeek is nearly identical, with perhaps a 1% difference. Chinese models have a massive long-term advantage due to abundant energy, cheap computing power, and low operational costs. Whoever controls computing power and electricity wins the AI war, and open-source Chinese models are perfectly positioned to dominate the global market.
Crypto’s Future and the Regulatory Reality Check
Despite my deep dive into AI, I still firmly believe that cryptocurrency is the future of money. We must respect regulatory frameworks to ensure long-term success. I expressed concerns regarding platforms like Hyperliquid.
While they are doing an incredible job bringing tokenized stocks on-chain, their aggressive buyback models and lack of KYC raise red flags. You cannot operate a no-KYC platform offering 50x leverage on the S&P 500 and expect to avoid US regulators. Contrast this with Polymarket, which implemented KYC for US users and successfully positioned itself as a tech platform. Understanding regulatory frameworks is what separates a sustainable trillion-dollar market cap from a black swan event. If you understand how regulation works, you avoid the unlimited loops of legal trouble.
AI Detecting AI and the Road Ahead
Finally, we touched on the societal impacts of AI, particularly deepfakes. As AI-generated videos become indistinguishable from reality, it is naive to rely on humans to label their content. The only viable solution is for AI to detect AI. We need decentralized, automated systems to verify the authenticity of media, especially in the context of elections and global propaganda.
I wrote Web4: The Age of Autonomous Intelligence to challenge the status quo. It delves into the technical architecture of Web4 and the ethical implications of autonomous systems. I priced the book at just $1.99 so as many people as possible can understand these critical concepts. The convergence of AI and blockchain is inevitable, and Web4 is where true decentralization finally becomes a reality.
More information about the book can be found at:
Web4: The Age of Autonomous Intelligence by Anndy Lian
Anndy Lian is an early blockchain adopter and experienced serial entrepreneur who is known for his work in the government sector. He is a best selling book author- “NFT: From Zero to Hero” and “Blockchain Revolution 2030”.
Currently, he is appointed as the Chief Digital Advisor at Mongolia Productivity Organization, championing national digitization. Prior to his current appointments, he was the Chairman of BigONE Exchange, a global top 30 ranked crypto spot exchange and was also the Advisory Board Member for Hyundai DAC, the blockchain arm of South Korea’s largest car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Group. Lian played a pivotal role as the Blockchain Advisor for Asian Productivity Organisation (APO), an intergovernmental organization committed to improving productivity in the Asia-Pacific region.
An avid supporter of incubating start-ups, Anndy has also been a private investor for the past eight years. With a growth investment mindset, Anndy strategically demonstrates this in the companies he chooses to be involved with. He believes that what he is doing through blockchain technology currently will revolutionise and redefine traditional businesses. He also believes that the blockchain industry has to be “redecentralised”.
In my recent conversation with the Satoshi Club, we dove deep into the current state of the crypto market, the realities of liquidity, and the core thesis of my new book, Web4: The Age of Autonomous Intelligence. The crypto space is currently navigating a complex transitional phase, and I want to share the main takeaways from our discussion to help clarify where we are and where we are heading.
The Reality of the Market and the Liquidity Trap
First, let’s address the market. Many are eager to jump back in, but I advise patience. We are likely looking at a six-month horizon before we see significant green arrows, primarily waiting for macroeconomic catalysts like stimulus checks. Right now, the traditional stock market is being artificially pumped to sustain upcoming trillion-dollar IPOs. This is sucking up global liquidity.
Furthermore, we are seeing a massive rotation of capital out of crypto and into AI stocks, sports betting, and the upcoming World Cup. Because of this liquidity drain, it is a terrible time to gamble on meme coins. Why rush into a casino that doesn’t have enough chips to pay out? When I analyze the market, I don’t rely on far-fetched cycle theories; I look at Cumulative Volume Delta (CVD) to gauge the actual war between aggressive buyers and sellers. Right now, the data tells me to wait.
We also need to face a hard truth about the industry: we lack sustainable, real-world use cases. Too many venture capitalists demand quick, one-year returns, which is impossible to achieve when building genuine tech. Instead of innovating, many blockchain projects raise millions, convert it to Bitcoin, and do nothing. We need to focus on sustainable revenue, not wash-traded volumes that inflate market caps without generating real value.
The Vision for Web4: AI as the Brain, Blockchain as the Spine
This lack of true decentralization and utility in Web3 is exactly why I wrote Web4: The Age of Autonomous Intelligence. Web1 was read-only. Web2 was read-write but highly centralized. Web3 promised read-write-own, but it failed to achieve true decentralization. Web4 must be the era where we can read, write, own, and understand within a truly decentralized framework, powered by autonomous AI.
People ask how AI and blockchain actually converge. I like to use a biological analogy: AI is the brain, and blockchain is the spine. The brain can think and process complex data, but it needs the spine to validate, support, and execute those actions securely. To achieve this, we need robust interface, architecture, agent, and protocol layers.
We don’t need to look at far-fetched concepts to see this working. Look at healthcare. AI can act as the diagnostic layer, analyzing X-rays and bloodwork with incredible accuracy. Blockchain can act as the immutable storage layer, securing a patient’s medical data so it can be safely shared across different doctors without the risk of tampering. That is a simple, highly effective, and real-world application of Web4.
The Ethereum Conundrum and Market Movers
During the interview, we also touched on the struggles of Ethereum. Technologically, Ethereum is mature, but its price action and market sentiment are weak. Why? Because it lacks a strong commercial driver. Every major project needs a “salesman” to push the vision—CZ for Binance, Justin Sun for Tron. Vitalik Buterin is a brilliant technologist, but Ethereum needs a dedicated commercial leader to market it aggressively to enterprises and institutions.
We also discussed Michael Saylor’s recent sale of a small amount of Bitcoin. I don’t believe he is under financial pressure to sell, as he has options to delay dividends. Rather, it was a strategic test of the market’s sentiment and liquidity. However, if a severe recession hits in the next year or two, he may be forced to sell more.
Building for the Future
Ultimately, my goal with my new book, available on Amazon for just $1.99, is not to make a quick profit, but to get as many people as possible to read and understand the Web4 vision. We need to shift our mindset from short-term pump-and-dumps to long-term, sustainable building.
The future of our industry doesn’t lie in just being a ledger for digital money; it lies in integrating autonomous intelligence to create real, tangible value. The hype will fade, but the foundational technology we build today will define the next decade. Stay patient, stay educated, and let’s build the future together.
About Anndy Lian’s new book:
Web4: The Age of Autonomous Intelligence
by Anndy Lian
Discover the architectural blueprint for the next digital revolution: Where artificial intelligence meets true decentralization.
Anndy Lian is an early blockchain adopter and experienced serial entrepreneur who is known for his work in the government sector. He is a best selling book author- “NFT: From Zero to Hero” and “Blockchain Revolution 2030”.
Currently, he is appointed as the Chief Digital Advisor at Mongolia Productivity Organization, championing national digitization. Prior to his current appointments, he was the Chairman of BigONE Exchange, a global top 30 ranked crypto spot exchange and was also the Advisory Board Member for Hyundai DAC, the blockchain arm of South Korea’s largest car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Group. Lian played a pivotal role as the Blockchain Advisor for Asian Productivity Organisation (APO), an intergovernmental organization committed to improving productivity in the Asia-Pacific region.
An avid supporter of incubating start-ups, Anndy has also been a private investor for the past eight years. With a growth investment mindset, Anndy strategically demonstrates this in the companies he chooses to be involved with. He believes that what he is doing through blockchain technology currently will revolutionise and redefine traditional businesses. He also believes that the blockchain industry has to be “redecentralised”.
Anndy Lian is an early blockchain adopter and experienced serial entrepreneur who is known for his work in the government sector. He is a best selling book author- “NFT: From Zero to Hero” and “Blockchain Revolution 2030”.
Currently, he is appointed as the Chief Digital Advisor at Mongolia Productivity Organization, championing national digitization. Prior to his current appointments, he was the Chairman of BigONE Exchange, a global top 30 ranked crypto spot exchange and was also the Advisory Board Member for Hyundai DAC, the blockchain arm of South Korea’s largest car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Group. Lian played a pivotal role as the Blockchain Advisor for Asian Productivity Organisation (APO), an intergovernmental organization committed to improving productivity in the Asia-Pacific region.
An avid supporter of incubating start-ups, Anndy has also been a private investor for the past eight years. With a growth investment mindset, Anndy strategically demonstrates this in the companies he chooses to be involved with. He believes that what he is doing through blockchain technology currently will revolutionise and redefine traditional businesses. He also believes that the blockchain industry has to be “redecentralised”.
