DeepFlowTech

Summary
By 2026, the convergence of artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency has evolved from proof-of-concept into a new phase of "system-level integration." The core of this technological paradigm revolution lies in the deep coupling of AI as the decision and processing layer with blockchain as the execution and settlement layer. On the computing power front, DePIN networks are reconstructing the supply and demand landscape of AI infrastructure by aggregating global idle GPU resources; on the intelligence front, protocols like Bittensor are creating machine intelligence markets through incentive mechanisms, promoting algorithm democratization; on the application front, AI agents are evolving from auxiliary tools into native on-chain economic entities, with the deployment of the x402 payment protocol and ERC-8004 identity standard paving the way for commercialization.
Simultaneously, the convergent application of fully homomorphic encryption, zero-knowledge machine learning, and trusted execution environments is constructing a new paradigm of "hybrid confidential computing." According to the Bitcoin Policy Institute's

Payment company Block has begun recalling some employees after laying off approximately 4000 workers, citing documentation errors and understaffing as reasons. The CEO acknowledged that the layoff decision may have been mistaken and stated that AI technology prompted the team reorganization. Some employees believe the layoffs were primarily intended to boost investor confidence.

Modular token issuance infrastructure Flap announced the official launch of Flap AI Oracle, providing AI-driven smart contract functionality. The infrastructure supports on-chain calls to large language models, allowing contracts to use AI to make verifiable decisions with simple operations requiring only three steps.

Author: David, Deep Tide TechFlow
On March 18th, another blockchain mainnet went live.
It's called Tempo, backed by Stripe and Paradigm. Stripe is one of the world's largest online payment companies, processing $1.9 trillion in transactions last year; Paradigm is one of the largest crypto venture capital firms. The two companies jointly invested $500 million in Tempo last year, with a project valuation of:
$5 billion.
A $5 billion blockchain that doesn't hype tokens, doesn't do DeFi, and doesn't issue memes. On the day mainnet launched, Tempo's most high-profile product announcement was:
Enabling machines to pay machines.
That sounds a bit abstract, but you can understand it as: AI now costs money at every step. Each API call

The Ethereum Foundation has proposed three protocol priorities: scalability, user experience, and Hardness, the latter emphasizing maintaining Ethereum's core attributes such as censorship resistance, privacy, and security. Hardness aims to ensure that Ethereum does not deviate from its values while improving performance, protecting user interests, enhancing network resilience and neutrality. The team is focused on technical research and development and raising awareness to address future challenges.

Nothing co-founder Carlos Pei stated at the SXSW conference that smartphone applications will be replaced by AI agents as the core way users interact with devices. He believes the current usage model is outdated, and future devices should understand user intent, proactively complete tasks, and predict needs, with interface design shifting toward AI agents.

Meta bet on the metaverse in 2021, investing $90 billion, but failed to attract users. Now the company is shutting down Horizon Worlds and shifting focus to AI development instead. The company has laid off 20% of its workforce, reallocating resources from virtual worlds to AI applications. The industry as a whole is making similar adjustments, with everyone rushing to chase AI. However, whether the future consensus is accurate remains questionable.

Nikola founder Trevor Milton is planning to enter the AI aviation field by acquiring SyberJet Aircraft and raising $1 billion in financing to build AI-core light jets. He has recruited former employees and is seeking investor support from Saudi Arabia and other regions, with the goal of developing new avionics systems and entering the defense market.

Meta recently experienced an AI Agent loss-of-control incident where an employee, following AI recommendations, performed operations that resulted in a large volume of company and user data being accessed without authorization for two hours. The incident was classified as a "Sev 1" security event. Meta has previously experienced similar issues.

The Oxford Economics Institute predicts that the Bank of Japan will postpone its next rate hike to July, and expects core CPI to return to 2% only by the second quarter of 2027. Meanwhile, the real GDP growth forecast for 2026 has been revised down to 0.3% due to inflationary pressures and yen weakness impacting the economy.