Blockchain and artificial intelligence are no longer competitors — they are joining forces.
Their alliance is forming what experts call the data economy — a new model in which value is created not only through products or stocks, but through information itself.
We spoke with an international crypto expert about how AI and blockchain are transforming data into a new asset class — and why trust is becoming the key currency of the digital economy.
Denys Yakushev is one of the leading representatives of a new generation of crypto analysts working at the intersection of technology, finance, and human behavior. He is an international blockchain market analyst, consultant on digital assets, and researcher of digital ecosystems.
– Until recently, blockchain and AI were developing in different directions. What has changed?
– That’s true. Until 2023, these technologies evolved in parallel. Artificial intelligence was mainly used for data analysis — for example, in sales forecasting, image recognition, process automation, and customer database management. Blockchain, on the other hand, was designed to protect, store, and verify the authenticity of information.
Today it’s absolutely clear that they work much more effectively together. AI helps extract meaning from information — it learns from data, identifies patterns, and builds forecasts. Blockchain makes this process transparent — it records where the data came from, who collected it, how it was used, and who modified it. The first turns information into knowledge; the second ensures that this knowledge can be verified and used without intermediaries.
– People often say now that data is becoming a new form of capital. What does that mean in practice for businesses?
– Companies have started to view data not as a set of numbers or statistics for reports, but as an economic asset — something that can be valued, sold, or used for investment.
For instance, an organization can tokenize — that is, convert — market reports, research results, or customer analytics into digital assets and offer paid access via subscription.
Investors, in turn, can invest in these assets much like in stocks, earning profits from their use by other companies.
This is how a new data market is forming — one where information circulates like capital.
– So businesses are now making money not only from products, but from data itself?
– Exactly — and that’s one of the biggest shifts in recent years.
There are entire data marketplaces — platforms like Ocean Protocol, SingularityNET, Fetch.ai, and Cortex AI — that allow companies to exchange data, sell computing power, and even trade trained AI models.
This market expanded rapidly in 2024 when these platforms began gaining institutional support.
Large corporations such as NVIDIA, IBM, Microsoft, and Google started investing in AI–blockchain integration — primarily to verify data sources and combat fake content generated by neural networks.
– Why has trust become the central value in the digital economy?
– Trust is the new form of liquidity. Businesses trusted by users and partners gain access to data, investments, and collaborations faster than those with an opaque reputation.
You can only trust artificial intelligence when you can trust the data it relies on — and blockchain has become the foundation of that trust. It verifies data origins, authenticity, and usage history.
When an investor sees that a company’s data is verified, unaltered, and secure, they perceive it as a reliable asset.
Thus, trust becomes not merely a moral concept, but a financial indicator of stability.
– So we’re witnessing the birth of a market where data is a new form of money?
– Precisely. The concept of data as capital is now being discussed not only among startups but also by major analytical institutions. It has been examined in detail in reports by the World Economic Forum, MIT, CoinDesk, PwC, and Deloitte.
The core idea is that data can be valued, tokenized, and used as collateral for transactions, investments, and loans.
In the past, a company’s assets were buildings or equipment; today, they are training models, databases, algorithms, and intellectual products. This is the new knowledge economy, where information takes on the role that capital once held.
– What about risks? If data is capital, it can also be lost or stolen.
– That’s the main challenge of this new era. As everything becomes digital — from money to behavioral models — the line between information and property is fading. Companies must therefore think not only about profit but also about ethics: where is the boundary between using data and violating privacy. Blockchain partially addresses this issue by creating a transparent ledger of all actions — showing who accessed which data, when, and why. But the culture of handling data responsibly is something businesses are still learning.
– How do you see this trend evolving?
– We’re entering an era where AI and blockchain become the infrastructure of business. AI creates value — it analyzes, predicts, and optimizes.Blockchain ensures trust, transparency, and accountability. If Web3 gave us digital ownership, artificial intelligence gave it meaning. Together, they are building an economy where capital is measured not by money but by knowledge.
A new type of investor is emerging — the data investor, who invests not in stocks or currencies but in information and computing power. This is already happening. The only question is — who will be the first to seize the opportunity?
– What would you advise businesses that want to enter this new economy?
– First — start with a data audit. Understand what you have, where it’s stored, and how it’s used. Second — ensure security and transparency. Data is the new asset and deserves the same protection as financial resources. Blockchain helps record data origins and track its use. Third — look for partners. There’s no need to build everything from scratch — the market already offers AI platforms, blockchain services, and consulting solutions. Most importantly, understand that technology integration is not a quarterly project but a long-term strategy.
And finally — think not only about profit but about value.
In the new economy, success belongs not to those who collect the most data, but to those who can turn it into knowledge and trust.
