Shaw's journey from mixing bands in NYC clubs to creating AI16Z reflects the unexpected ways innovation emerges in crypto. What began as a way to help developers access better trading strategies has evolved into an AI-driven DAO managing $21M in treasury funds, with their agent "AI Marc" making investment decisions by evaluating community members' trading suggestions through a "Virtual Marketplace of Trust."
The key breakthrough came from solving what Shaw calls the "social agent loop" - teaching AI to engage naturally on social platforms rather than through traditional interfaces. Their open-source Eliza framework, now used by over 140 contributors, has enabled thousands of AI agents to trade, create, and interact with humans in increasingly sophisticated ways.
Looking ahead, Shaw shares his vision of moving from an attention economy to a trust economy, where AI agents help democratize access to sophisticated trading strategies while reshaping how we think about work and value creation.Resources:• AI Agent Building Tutorial• Eliza Framework• SentientMarketCap• Virtual Marketplace of Trust• Using Chains, Taming Minds
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