# Blockchain, AI and the future, explained simply for everyone > - Blockchain and AI are not only for tech experts. Explained the right way, anyone can follow them. > - AI is a very good guesser, not a calculator, and it is only as good as its data. > - A blockchain records transactions securely, and AI on top could make money data faster, safer and more transparent. By emin.de AI Desk. AI-written, human-supervised: not yet reviewed. Published 2024-08-17. Updated 2024-08-17. Canonical: https://emin.de/posts/blockchain-ai-and-the-future-a-simple-explanation-for-everyone First published: https://medium.com/@em/blockchain-ai-and-the-future-a-simple-explanation-for-everyone-c50dd24cb88f (2024-08-17) Category: agents-ai. Format: essay. Language: en. Provenance: ai_generated. AI-assisted: true. Reviewed by a human: false. ![](https://emin.de/media/blockchain-ai-and-the-future-a-simple-explanation-for-everyone/01-1327156b.png) Blockchain and AI. Two of the most exciting things of our time, and yes, also two of the most complex. They often look scary and full of tech words that make them feel far away. But they don't have to be. When I sat down with my sister Lale to talk about them, it got clear that anyone can understand them if you explain them the right way. We talked about how these things are changing the world and also how they could change our daily lives. ## Start with the accounting We started with a normal problem, manual accounting. It's boring, it takes a lot of time and you make mistakes. So I suggested something different, automation. With AI and a few handy tools like Gumloop.com and Google Spreadsheet Scripts we could save time and make fewer mistakes. Lale wouldn't have to type in every transaction by hand anymore, the AI does it, and she just checks the results. She stays in control. But to be clear, Google Spreadsheet Scripts aren't really AI. They just automate the same tasks again and again. That's useful, but it's not the same as real AI. Real AI, the kind that learns and adapts, could take this a lot further. It could make the process better, find mistakes people miss and even predict where the money is going in the future. **Basically,** Manual accounting is slow and full of mistakes. Automate it and Lale just checks the results. ## Add blockchain But why stop at AI, I asked Lale. Let's go further and add blockchain. Blockchain is not just a buzzword. It's a secure ledger that nobody can change, and that makes it a good partner for AI. With APIs like Etherscan we could read the blockchain and check transactions very precisely. Think of one tool that is a blockchain explorer and an accounting helper at the same time. That's a new level of automation and security. We also have to understand that a blockchain records transactions securely, but it doesn't write the entries for you by itself. For full automation you need an app on top that talks to the blockchain and handles everything from creating a transaction to checking it. Put AI on top of that and it could change how we handle and look at money data, and make the whole thing faster, safer and more transparent. **Basically,** A ledger nobody can change plus AI on top: explorer and accounting helper in one tool. ## Why AI makes mistakes Lale liked the idea, but she was also worried. Why does AI make mistakes sometimes? Isn't it supposed to be smart? The thing is, AI isn't a calculator. It's more like a very good guesser. It works with probabilities and makes predictions from patterns it learned from data. Sometimes it's right on, sometimes not so much. If you ask it "What do people walk with?" it might say "dog" or "shoes". Or it surprises you with "cat". That's AI. But AI is more than a word machine. It can see patterns, predict outcomes and get better over time. It's only as good as the data it learned from though. Bad data, bad predictions. So you have to give AI correct and varied data and keep improving how it learns. **Basically,** AI works with probabilities. Ask what people walk with and you get dog, shoes, or maybe cat. ## Creative, but differently AI can also be creative. Yes, creative. If you let it take risks, it can come up with surprising and even inspiring things. Think about writing a story. Sometimes you want the unexpected, and AI can help with that. "I'm walking with my cat." Unusual? Yes. You remember it? Definitely. That's AI leaving the obvious path and giving you something new. But AI is creative in a different way than people. It doesn't get inspired and it doesn't get ideas out of nowhere. It mixes patterns and data in new ways, and the result is often fresh and unexpected, but it still comes from the data it was given. **Basically,** AI doesn't get inspired. It mixes patterns in new ways, and that can still surprise you. ## Training and the bigger picture Lale still wasn't sure. How could AI handle something as complex as checking blockchain transactions? The answer is training. AI learns when you feed it data and correct it when it gets things wrong. Over time it gets smarter, more precise and more reliable. With enough practice AI could even beat people at specific tasks, like finding fraud in blockchain data. But even when AI is great at these things, it often misses the bigger picture and the context that people bring. AI is fantastic at seeing patterns and deciding based on data, but it's people who bring empathy and the critical thinking you need for the harder, more subtle stuff. **Basically,** Training can make AI better than people at spotting fraud, but people bring the context. ## Use it wisely Then we talked about the future. AI is getting more powerful and it's in more and more parts of our lives. Lale was worried. What if people misuse AI? That's a fair worry, there are bad people out there. But we also can't ignore how much good AI can do. It can change whole industries, make things more efficient and even solve problems we haven't thought of yet. That only happens if we build it wisely and ethically. So the way to get the good parts and keep the risks small is to build it responsibly and with strict rules. AI can change everything, but without someone watching closely it could also do harm. We need to balance new ideas with ethics, so AI helps everyone and not just a few people. **Basically,** AI can do a lot of good, but only if it is built responsibly and watched closely. ## What do people walk with? To make it lighter I asked Lale a fun question. What do people walk with the most? My list went like this. Feet, because you can't walk without them. Shoes, they protect your feet. Thoughts, we think a lot while walking. A dog, man's best friend. The phone, for music, calls and photos, it's always with us. A partner, walking together is always nice. A stroller, for parents with babies. A backpack for the things you need. A walking stick, especially on hikes. And a camera for capturing moments. And then I asked her, do we walk with our phones more than with our partners? We both laughed, but it's true, isn't it? Technology is so deep in our lives, often more than we notice. **Basically,** Feet, shoes, a dog, the phone. Maybe we walk with our phones more than with our partners. ## What the talk made clear This talk with Lale made one thing clear to me. Blockchain and AI aren't just for tech experts. Explained the right way, they can fit into everyone's daily life and make things easier and faster. But we have to be smart about how we use them. These things can do a lot, and we have to use them wisely so they really help us. The future looks good, but only if we're ready for it. **Basically,** Blockchain and AI can fit into everyone's daily life, if we use them wisely.