Paris’ esteemed Louvre Palace, within the Musée Arts Décoratifs, opened its gates to welcome web3’s brightest minds at Proof of Talk 2024, held from June 10-11.
Attracting over 2,500 attendees, including figures such as CEO of ConsenSys, Joseph Lubin, and Chairman of Animoca Brands, Yat Siu, plus an array of thought leaders from both web3 and web2, this was the second annual Proof of Talk event, featuring a two-day marathon of panels, discussions and networking.
Proof of Talk is fast becoming a cornerstone of Europe’s blockchain event circuit, and where key discussions on the latest advancements and innovations take place. Here’s the key highlights you need to know.
Does AI need blockchain?
Day 2 saw a spirited debate about the involvement of AI in blockchain technology.
The panel included Dominic Williams (Chief Scientist, DFINITY Foundation), Philippe Battel (VP AI EMEA, Oracle), Christopher Donovan (COO, NEAR Foundation), and Lex Sokolin (Managing Partner, Generative Ventures), and touched on all aspects of AI-blockchain convergence, including user expression, privacy, accessibility and more.
Both big-name web2 companies and innovative web3 brands are exploring this exciting new area, and there’s sure to be a surge of both new and existing blockchains deploying AI technology in the second half of 2024 and beyond.
How do we drive innovation in web3 gaming?
A who’s who of big names in web3 gaming took the stage to discuss the latest innovations in the industry, the impact they’ll have on its players, and how we continue to foster an innovation-driven environment.
Yat Siu (Chairman, Animoca Brands), Miko Matsumura (Managing Partner, Gumi Cryptos Capital), Sebastian Borget (Co-Founder & COO, Sandbox), and Sami Chlagou (Founder, Cross the Ages) made up the panel, and covered topics including the models of Roblox and Fortnite, the “right” way of tackling play & earn, and enabling player creativity.
With the panel stacked with many of the top web3 games and their figureheads, we’re excited to see how they – along with the rest of the web3 gaming industry – innovate across the rest of this year.
How do we tell the difference between hype and substance?
New projects spring up every day in the blockchain space, but how do you tell the difference between projects with real substance, and those driven by hype?
Irene Wu (Venture Partner, Bain Capital Crypto), Etienne vantKruys (Managing Partner, TRGC) and Matt Law (CCO, Outlier Ventures) took up the debate with vigour, discussing the topic from a venture capital perspective, including what they look out for, the common pitfalls they see, and how the VC landscape has changed in 2024.
2023 saw record lows for VC investment in web3 as AI become the talk of the town, although 2024 has seen encouraging trends for web3 investment, especially with venture capital firms and web3 projects that have a long-term, utility-driven approach.
Proof of Talk 2024 proved to be a haven of thought leadership, cutting-edge discussion and striking debate, and we look forward to the event’s hopeful return in 2025.
COO & founder of NFT Insider. Bullish on web3. Competitive soul.