Why We're Headed Into "deAI Summer," w/ CoinFund's Jake Brukhman

Welcome to 2025's "deAI Summer." Decentralized AI is emerging as one of the most significant shifts in artificial intelligence and blockchain. In this episode of The People’s AI, presented by Vana, we sit down with Jake Brukhman, founder and CEO of CoinFund, to explore the growing intersection of AI and Web3, the challenges of open-source AI, and what it means for AI investing and crypto-backed AI startups.

We break down Jake’s investing thesis on decentralized AI, including:

• Can decentralized AI compete with centralized models from OpenAI and Google?

• The paradox of investing in open-source AI while maintaining a defensible moat

• How AI agents are transforming DeFi, crypto trading, and smart contracts

• The future of AI-powered DAOs and governance models in Web3

• Key green flags and red flags in crypto AI startups

• How AI regulation and crypto tokens will shape the future of decentralized AI

Timestamps:

📌 0:00 – Introduction to decentralized AI and Web3 investing

📌 3:01 – How to spot real AI crypto projects vs. hype-driven startups

📌 6:36 – Why AI models trained on blockchain networks could challenge Big Tech

📌 12:25 – The role of AI agents in DeFi and autonomous finance

📌 18:26 – Open-source AI vs. proprietary AI—can decentralized models be profitable?

📌 27:07 – Why crypto AI tokens could drive mainstream AI investment

📌 32:04 – The future of AI-powered DAOs and decentralized governance

📌 38:57 – AI regulation, crypto laws, and the role of policymakers

📌 45:17 – Predictions: Where decentralized AI will be in one year—and five

The intersection of AI, blockchain, and crypto is evolving fast. Whether you’re an investor, builder, or just curious about where AI is heading, this conversation breaks down the real opportunities and challenges of decentralized AI.

More on CoinFund:

https://coinfund.io/

Jake Brukhman on Twitter/X:

https://x.com/jbrukh

About Vana:

Vana's vision is for user-owned AI through user owned-data. Its mission is to be the world's first open protocol for data sovereignty. 

More on Vana:

https://linktr.ee/vanahq

Vana on Twitter/X:

https://x.com/vana

The People's AI on Twitter/X:

https://x.com/The_Peoples_AI

Subscribe to The People's AI on YouTube:

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Jeff Wilser on Twitter/X:

https://x.com/jeffwilser