Some takeaways from Token2049 Dubai - 2025
Two and a half months ago, during Consensus Hong Kong, I saw one of the speakers claim that ChatGPT (the web app!) is "an AI agent".
This time, there was a (mostly non-verbal) agreement that "real AI agents are not here yet". At the same time, there were more AI devs than before.
Some speakers mentioned that AGI/ASI is likely coming soon, but when I talked to people, I didn't see anyone actually considering this. Doesn't mean it's not true though, hehe.
It appeared that the main event itself was much bigger than expected, both in terms of attendees and presenters/booths. Compared to the previous Token2049, there were very few memecoins, and people were mostly utility-focused.
On a personal note, while more people than expected are a bullish sign, one major drawback was that 1/3 of the booths were placed outside, in +40C heat, under UV12 sunlight. I'd rather have last year's flood.
Unlike previous Token2049, no one really tried to challenge the idea that crypto is about DeFi and hyperfinancialization. Instead of "crypto can solve X", people now say "we can connect DeFi to X".
