Remember those middle-school writing prompts:

Describe your favorite cookie.

Your teacher told you to write it as if to an alien, a being who had never encountered a cookie before, which meant touching on each sense – sight, sound, smell, touch, taste. You might not have realized it then, but describing something in a way that allows people to get a clear picture is actually quite hard.

Let me try to describe Matheus Pagani, founder and CEO of Venture Miner. Matheus is a male with light caramel skin and dark brown hair. Even though his hair is cut close, you can tell it’s curly. He’s got a thick dark brown, almost black beard, which connects to a mustache. His eyes are dark brown behind thin wire glasses. His bottom lip sticks out a little further from his top lip, giving him a look of assurance, but not arrogance.

Picturing him yet? How confident are you?

Oh yeah, and he’s Brazilian.

Got it?

Let’s see what Matheus Pagani actually looks like.

Matheus Pagani

Is this what you had come up with in your head from my description? Doubt it. Whenever I told you he was Brazilian, did you accessorize him in bright colors and a feathered headdress? Something like this?

Bias Check

If so, check your bias; you’re thinking like an AI. That was what ChatGPT came up with from the prompt “some Brazilians having fun.” Pagani showed this and other examples during the AI2Web3 Bootcamp in NYC in early December.

The bootcamp, run by Pagani and Build City, brought together 59 participants across all skill levels to learn how the two buzziest (and often misunderstood) technologies can create useful products and services. Pagani used a version of the middle-school assignment to explain how and why AI made significant leaps over the past few years.

Understanding AI and blockchain is essential, as these skills will soon be relevant for many – engineers, journalists, artists, and others.

“We want to join brilliant minds from all backgrounds to come and work with AI and Web3, since the junction of their multiple perspectives can uncover new use cases,” Pagani stated.

Mind-Boggling Building

The intersection of AI and Web3 is exciting because you can build so much quickly without prior technical experience.

For instance, Coinbase launched AgentKit recently, allowing developers to build AI agents with their own crypto wallets.

“One day, we’ll have AI agents own their own cars and operate their own taxi service that gets paid by customers in crypto,” Lincoln Murr commented.

Ora Network offers tools for developers to build AI-enabled Web3 applications and funding options.

“It’s kind of winner-takes-all right now in AI, but with this model, we’re allowing the crowdfunding of AI building and training,” Alec James explained.

During the final day, nine teams presented prototypes blending Web3 and AI, inspiring participants across all skill levels. The bootcamp demonstrated that with the tools available, even novices could create innovative projects.

“I see the combination accelerating research and development across many fields while also distributing the wealth generated,” said Isayah Culbertson.