a16z Live

Who Will Own the Internet? a16z’s Chris Dixon on AI and Crypto

Feb 21, 2025

Chris Dixon, a founding partner at a16z crypto and author of "Read, Write, Own," dives into how AI and crypto can revolutionize the internet. He discusses the potential of decentralized systems to support creators, reshaping economic models and enabling new business opportunities. Dixon also reflects on the fading of the internet's original economic covenant, where creators traded free access for visibility. He emphasizes the necessity of balancing power away from central players, envisioning a future where innovation thrives on an open ecosystem.

32:55

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Chris Dixon

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Quick takeaways

The interconnection of AI, crypto, and new hardware is reshaping the internet, creating opportunities for innovative economic models for creators.

As the internet evolves, regulatory frameworks must balance innovation and competition to prevent centralization and empower diverse creators.

Deep dives

Embracing Change in AI and Creative Economies

In an increasingly AI-driven world, there is a push for creators to rethink traditional economic models to adapt and thrive. The conversation emphasizes the importance of not resisting technological advancements, as many creative individuals and businesses have pivoted their strategies to leverage new opportunities presented by AI technologies. This significant platform shift is likened to the transition to a new generation of the internet, with exciting intersections of parallel technologies such as new hardware and blockchain that can enable innovative projects. The key question arises about the future economic models—how will creators generate income amid these changes, and how will they navigate the challenges posed by established systems?

Intro

3min

Harnessing AI and Crypto for a New Internet

7min

The Fragile Covenant of the Internet and the Rise of AI

3min

Disruptive Innovations in Tech

7min

Navigating AI and Community in the Digital Age

13min

Technology doesn’t grow in isolation—it evolves in waves. Just as mobile, cloud, and social shaped the internet of the past 20 years, so too could crypto, AI, and new hardware usher in an era of the internet that’s pro-innovation, pro-startup, and pro-creator.

Speaking with a16z Growth General Partner David George, a16z crypto Founder and Managing Partner Chris Dixon breaks down his vision for a new internet, from using crypto to decentralize AI infrastructure and kickstart network effects, to why AI will be this era’s native form of media just as film was in the 1930s. He also explores why the internet’s original covenant—where content creators traded free access for search traffic—is breaking today, and how a better internet could introduce entirely new business models for creators.

Right now, we have a choice to make: will the next era of the internet be shaped by a handful of centralized players, or transformed into an open ecosystem where power and control flow to creators across the globe?

Read more, including a full transcript, here: https://a16z.com/ai-crypto-internet-chris-dixon/

[00:00:30] How technology evolves

[00:02:54] How crypto and AI interact

[00:08:39] Breaking the economic pact of the internet

[00:12:57] From mobile, social, and cloud to crypto, AI, and hardware

[00:14:49] Using crypto to bootstrap network effects

[00:16:33] Is AI frosting or sugar?

[00:19:57] Come for the tool, stay for the network

[00:20:39] Skeuomorphic vs. native technologies

[00:26:07] AI as the creative substrate of our era

[00:30:11] Balancing supply and demand in AI

[00:35:03] What decides consumer adoption of AI?

[00:36:05] What is the ideal future state of the internet?

In our conversation series AI Revolution, we ask industry leaders how they’re harnessing the power of generative AI and steering their companies through the next platform shift. Find more content from our AI Revolution series on www.a16z.com/AIRevolution.

Chris Dixon’s book is now available in paperback at readwriteown.com.

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a16z Live

Who Will Own the Internet? a16z’s Chris Dixon on AI and Crypto

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Embracing Change in AI and Creative Economies

The Interplay of AI, Crypto, and Networks

New Models for Ownership and Engagement

Navigating Regulatory Challenges and Future Visions

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts