DePIN, DeSci, and DeFAI are emerging frontier concepts, each carrying different missions and visions.

Written by: Max.S

"New concepts emerge in a bull market." With the bull market kicking off last November as BTC broke 100,000, the increasing number of AI+Web3 concepts has left us dazzled. The speed of iteration and the breadth of ideas have made sleep a luxury. Recently, my good friend Renée released a video Is the influx of hot money into DeSci the beginning of a revolution and breaking boundaries, or just another fleeting trend? which motivated me to explain DePIN, DeSci, and DeFAI in the simplest terms possible.

First, let’s introduce the big brother "DePIN"

The full name of the big brother is "Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks," representing decentralized physical infrastructure networks. As early as 2021, IoTeX proposed the concept of MachineFi, which combines "Machine" and "DeFi" (decentralized finance), representing the financialization of machines and the data they generate. After continuous development and evolution of the ecosystem, the concept of DePIN was ultimately proposed by Messari, which is a way to establish and maintain infrastructure in the real world.

DePIN utilizes blockchain technology to coordinate multiple individual units' physical hardware facilities in a permissionless, trustless, and programmable manner through token incentives.

IoTeX itself is the best practitioner of the DePIN concept; they are one of the few Web3 projects with physical products aside from cold wallets. Their two products, a home camera and a physical data recorder, are pioneers in bringing Web3 into real life, facilitating global user collaboration to build and maintain infrastructure networks.

Recently, they also announced a strategic partnership with Eliza Labs to deeply integrate IoTeX's modular DePIN infrastructure with ElizaOS, jointly creating AI Agents with physical world perception capabilities. In simple terms, this means "feeding" real-time data and services from the DePIN network to the AI Agent.

Here, let’s also clarify what an AI Agent is. An AI Agent is an intelligent entity capable of perceiving the environment, making decisions, and executing corresponding actions. Unlike traditional AI systems, AI Agents possess autonomy, reactivity, proactivity, and social skills, enabling them to simulate human thought and behavior and perform complex tasks. The evolution from AI to AI Agent essentially represents a shift from passive to active, from singular capabilities to diverse capabilities, akin to evolving from "Jarvis" to "Vision."

Returning to the collaboration between IoTeX and Eliza Labs, the Eliza Agent retrieves and processes real-world data from the DePIN network supported by IoTeX. This will enable Eliza's Agent to perceive, act, and learn based on the dynamic physical environment. One day, Eliza might truly evolve into "Ultron" or "Vision," provided it can find vibranium.

Let’s define DePIN: it is a network, a decentralized physical infrastructure network serving infrastructure networks in areas such as storage space, communication traffic, cloud computing, and energy.

Next, let’s introduce the second brother "DeSci"

The rise of the "second brother" is inseparable from the two big names, CZ and Vitalik. Their initials "CV" happen to mean voice actor, as they breathe life into DeSci just like voice actors do for anime characters.

DeSci stands for "Decentralized Science," focusing on utilizing blockchain technology and features, such as FT, NFT, and DAO, to address issues like peer review, research funding, intellectual property management, and data transparency and scrutiny mechanisms. DeSci allows scientists to raise funds, conduct experiments, share data, and distribute insights, achieving democratized scientific research and discovery. (Citing Renée's video Is the influx of hot money into DeSci the beginning of a revolution and breaking boundaries, or just another fleeting trend?)

Among the many overviews of DeSci, my favorite definition is that it resembles a bridge, allowing the general public to participate in "high-end" technological development through direct investment methods like memes, while conversely enabling scientists to obtain sufficient research funding. Moreover, it achieves transparency in the entire research process through decentralized means. All data and decisions are publicly recorded on the blockchain, reducing the possibility of human intervention.

Who will be affected by the rise and development of DeSci? Undoubtedly, the end of the "academic gatekeepers" is near! How many research students have had their passion for science extinguished by these gatekeepers? They monopolize academic resources through various means, such as research funding, laboratory equipment, and editorial rights of academic journals, excluding and suppressing newcomers and researchers with differing viewpoints, hindering academic freedom and innovation.

DeSci does not rely on specific authoritative institutions, providing equal participation opportunities for any capable researcher through decentralization. This will encourage more newcomers and researchers with different viewpoints to engage in academic research, breaking the monopoly of academic gatekeepers. Blockchain's NFT technology will serve intellectual property management well, ensuring that all contributors can fairly share the benefits and preventing gatekeepers from gaining undue advantages through control of intellectual property.

DeSci has the potential to break the monopoly of academic gatekeepers and promote fairness and openness in academia through transparent sharing, decentralized management, and democratization. However, DeSci also faces challenges in legal, technical, and academic recognition aspects, requiring continuous efforts in these areas to achieve its goals.

Let’s also define DeSci: it is a concept, a terminator of "academic gatekeepers." DeSci addresses issues of transparency, fairness, and openness in traditional scientific research by changing the traditional funding allocation model and the dissemination model of research results.

Finally, let’s introduce the third brother "DeFAI"

DeFAI is a newly born concept, literally understood as the combination of DeFi and artificial intelligence. It enhances the efficiency and security of DeFi projects through the powerful computing and data analysis capabilities of AI.

Citing an example from the article "Exploring DeFAI: The Deep Integration of DeFi and AI, Three Core Scenarios Promoting Large-Scale Application of DeFi," users can issue commands directly in natural language, such as "Exchange 3 ETH for USDC" or "Provide liquidity in the ETH-USDC pool." In the background, AI will automatically parse the user's request, search for the best liquidity sources, generate transaction data, and prompt the user to select a wallet for signature operations.

From this example alone, DeFAI can lower the entry barrier for DeFi users, as they do not need to spend a lot of time learning how to use DeFi infrastructure like wallets, DEX, or swaps. The involvement of AI will significantly reduce complexity and enhance certainty.

As an old veteran in the crypto space, I worry whether AI's understanding of natural language can fulfill my trading instructions, as some trading parameters can change rapidly. Clearly, my brain directly commanding my hands to complete a trade is much faster than my brain instructing my mouth to issue commands for AI to execute. Users cannot sacrifice security for superficial convenience when real money is at stake. For DeFAI to achieve mass adoption, there must be breakthrough advancements in AI performance, such as Elon Musk's brain-machine interface.

DePIN, DeSci, and DeFAI, as emerging frontier concepts, each carry different missions and visions. Although they are all still in the early stages of development, with continuous technological advancements, gradual ecosystem improvements, and increasing market awareness, they are expected to trigger profound changes in their respective fields in the future, even intertwining and collaborating to shape a more open, efficient, and intelligent new ecosystem of the digital economy.

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