The worlds of AI and blockchain are collapsing into one frame. Pretty soon, any blockchain project not using AI will seem as anachronistic as a horse and carriage pulling up at the starting line alongside a row of sleek F1 cars. OK, perhaps that’s a bit extreme – but you get the picture. AI-driven web3 projects are all the rage at the moment, with Bitwise suggesting the intersection could add a jaw-dropping $20 trillion to global GDP by 2030. Not exactly chump change.
It’s not hard to appreciate the benefits of combining blockchain and AI: the data-crunching capacity of the latter pairs incredibly well with blockchain’s immutability, transparency, and security. From automating trades to securing smart contracts, artificial intelligence has become the ultimate wingman for blockchain innovation.
Here are five projects wielding AI to solve real-world DeFi and blockchain problems in 2025.
0G Labs: A L1 Chain for Autonomous Agents
0G Labs is the world’s first decentralized AI operating system, and with the ‘agentic economy’ the dominant narrative in crypto-AI, it could become the iOS of the industry. With over $400 million in funding so far – including $30 million from a recent node sale – the Layer-1 has the capital to support its ambition; it also has the tech, with the network said to boast a blistering 50 GB/second data throughput, 50,000x faster and 100x cheaper than competitors. Its 0G Hub, meanwhile, offers a one-stop platform for dApps, analytics, and no-code AI agent creation, and a DeFi-focused AI service market is set to launch later this year.
By enabling on-chain agents to operate at scale, this San Francisco-based project is setting the scene for an exciting new era of DeFi automation.
Arcium: Blockchain Audit Trails for AI Models
Arcium is the encrypted supercomputer the web3 world didn’t know it needed. Essentially, the project delivers a trustless framework to compute over fully encrypted data, something of utmost importance given AI models are typically trained on sensitive datasets – including those containing proprietary info. By putting AI computation audit trails on-chain, Arcium ensures the verifiability and trust of AI/ML models, while satisfying organizations that their sensitive data is never exposed.
Arcium’s recent partnership with the Darklake DEX will see the pair build a full-stack encrypted execution stack on Solana, while its public testnet rollout is set to kick off April 30.
Octane: AI-Powered Defi Threat Detection
Octane is an AI-powered cybersecurity outfit that puts machine learning to work detecting and fixing smart contract vulnerabilities before hackers can pounce. Given the steep cost of these hacks – for individual projects and, reputationally, for the industry as a whole – Octane’s AI-driven threat detection and one-click bug fixes are music to the ears of builders and end users.
“Flawed blockchain code enables billions in theft across crypto… Octane’s AI continuously scans codebases, empowering developers with proactive threat detection and one-click fixes throughout the entire development lifecycle.” — CEO Giovanni Vignone.
By beefing up blockchain security – particularly in terms of smart contracts – Octane could help the defi industry shed its lawless Wild West image.
Glider: A New Age of Permissionless Trading
Crypto trading is hard, but it doesn’t have to be; that’s the basic premise of Glider, an AI-driven platform for building, testing, and executing non-custodial strategies across the cryptosphere. Set to launch later this year after raising $4 million in an Andreessen Horowitz-led round, Glider deploys AI for activities like automated rebalancing, fund control, and portfolio adjustments across multiple networks. As the website puts it, “Managing your crypto portfolio shouldn’t feel complex.”
For DeFi’s movers and shakers, Glider promises less grunt work (who wants to guzzle coffee and gaze at trading screens all day?) and more gains, with strategies optimized in real time without the need for manual intervention.
ExoraPad: Project Launches with AI Vetting
Finally, there’s ExoraPad, an AI-driven launchpad for promising RWAs, DePINs, and Web3 projects, built on the XRP Ledger (XRPL). While web3 launchpads are nothing new, ExoraPad isn’t your garden-variety gateway: it uses AI algorithms to sift through the field and spotlight only the best ventures. Its staking-based tier system, meanwhile, rewards higher stakers with priority access, better allocations, and investment perks, while XRPL’s proven infrastructure ensures transparency and risk mitigation.
By filtering out the noise (and in defi, it’s often cacophonous), ExoraPad is giving investors the sort of peace of mind they crave. It also appeals to strong projects, confident they can pass muster when AI’s running the rule over them.
With AI tokens capturing 35.7% of crypto investor interest in Q1, the synergies between AI and blockchain continue to strengthen. One wonders which use case will have the most legs in the race towards ‘$20 trillion by 2030’.
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