The digital landscape is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by the dual forces of artificial intelligence and the evolving vision of the internet, commonly referred to as Web3. While the concept of Web3—an internet prioritizing user control and decentralization—has been around for roughly a decade, its practical implementation is accelerating, particularly as it intersects with the burgeoning capabilities of AI. This evolution is not a sudden leap but rather a strategic integration, with many enterprises adopting a hybrid approach, blending established Web2 infrastructure and business models with the novel decentralized technologies and principles of Web3. This pragmatic strategy allows them to harness the potential of Web3 while mitigating risks and navigating the complexities of its adoption.

At its core, Web3 represents a paradigm shift from the centralized architecture of Web2, which emerged in the early 2000s. Web2 relies heavily on centralized servers and intermediaries for data storage and computation, with a handful of global conglomerates controlling and monetizing these resources. In contrast, Web3 aims to decentralize data and compute through technologies like blockchain and peer-to-peer networks, empowering users and fostering a more equitable digital ecosystem. This vision, once a futuristic ideal, is rapidly materializing. Evidence of this transition is seen in the growing interest from major corporations; a significant portion of Fortune 500 companies are actively exploring blockchain-based solutions. This exploration predominantly takes the form of hybrid models, where traditional Web2 operations are augmented by Web3 principles.

The practical applications of this hybrid approach are becoming increasingly evident across various sectors. Cloud services, supply chain management, and particularly financial services are prime examples. The decentralized finance (DeFi) sector, a key component of Web3, has witnessed explosive growth, with daily transaction volumes on decentralized exchanges at one point exceeding $10 billion. This demonstrates a tangible shift towards decentralized financial infrastructure and a growing trust in its capabilities.

Erman Tjiputra, founder and CEO of the AIOZ Network, a company building Web3 infrastructure powered by decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN), highlights the compelling advantages Web3 offers to enterprises. These benefits include enhanced ownership and control over sensitive data, a crucial aspect in an era of increasing data breaches and privacy concerns. Furthermore, Web3 promises more cost-effective compute resources, a critical factor given the insatiable demand for processing power, especially for AI applications. Enhanced security and privacy are also significant draws, as the cyberattack landscape becomes more hostile. The decentralized nature of Web3 can also mitigate risks associated with single points of failure, thereby preventing downtime, data loss, and revenue deficits that can cripple traditional centralized systems.

Perhaps the most exciting opportunity presented by Web3, according to Tjiputra, lies in its potential to facilitate the reliable and affordable development and scaling of Artificial Intelligence. By leveraging a people-powered internet infrastructure, companies can gain unprecedented access to and contribute to shared resources such as bandwidth, storage, and processing power. This distributed model is ideal for running AI inference, training complex models, and storing vast datasets. Crucially, this can be achieved using familiar developer tools and open, usage-based incentive structures. Tjiputra aptly describes this as a "compute crunch where requirements are insatiable, and Web3 creates this ability to benefit while contributing."

The AIOZ Network itself exemplifies this vision. In 2025, the company launched a distributed compute platform and marketplace designed to enable developers and enterprises to access and monetize AI assets. This platform allows for AI inference and training to be conducted on AIOZ Network’s extensive network of over 300,000 contributing devices. This model offers a compelling alternative to opaque datasets and models prevalent in traditional systems, enabling flexible scaling without the risk of centralized vendor lock-in.

Despite the immense promise, the widespread adoption of Web3 is still in its nascent stages, and several systemic challenges present hurdles for senior leadership and developers contemplating its implementation at scale. A significant impediment is the lack of interoperability. The current fragmentation of blockchain networks results in a segregated ecosystem, making it difficult and often risky to transfer assets or data between different platforms. This often necessitates the use of cross-chain bridges, which, while enabling asset transfers, have unfortunately proven to be vulnerable to targeted attacks. "We have countless blockchains running on different protocols and consensus models," Tjiputra observes. "These blockchains need to work with each other so applications can communicate regardless of which chain they are on. This makes interoperability fundamental."

Regulatory uncertainty further complicates the landscape. Outdated legal frameworks often clash with decentralized infrastructures, particularly concerning compliance with data protection and anti-money laundering regulations. Enterprises, understandably, prioritize verifiability and compliance alongside innovation. "We need frameworks where on-chain transparency strengthens accountability instead of adding friction," Tjiputra emphasizes.

Compounding these issues are user experience (UX) challenges. Tjiputra identifies UX as "the biggest setback in Web3 today." He illustrates this with a relatable analogy: in Web2, forgetting a bank password allows for easy recovery through customer support. In Web3, however, the loss or compromise of a private key can lead to the permanent loss of access to assets. This presents a significant problem that needs robust solutions, such as secure and user-friendly key recovery mechanisms.

Nevertheless, the path to Web3 is not an all-or-nothing proposition. By leveraging DePIN networks, enterprises can strategically bridge the gap between Web2 and Web3, minimizing risk while capitalizing on the emerging opportunities. The AIOZ Network’s ecosystem, for instance, offers capabilities in media streaming, AI compute, and distributed storage that can be seamlessly integrated into existing Web2 tech stacks. "You don’t need to go full Web3," Tjiputra advises. "You can start by plugging distributed storage into your workflow, test it, measure it, and see the benefits firsthand."

The AIOZ Storage solution serves as a prime example, providing scalable distributed object storage by utilizing the global network of contributor devices on the AIOZ DePIN. Its compatibility with existing storage systems and widely used web application programming interfaces (APIs) further simplifies integration. "Say we have a programmer or developer who uses Amazon S3 Storage or REST APIs, then all they need to do is just repoint the endpoints," Tjiputra explains. "That’s it. It’s the same tools, it’s really simple. Even with media, with a single one-stop shop, developers can do transcoding and streaming with a simple REST API."

Built on Cosmos, a network designed for the interoperability of diverse blockchains, and leveraging the standardized framework of the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), AIOZ Network has placed a strong emphasis on addressing the interoperability challenge. "Applications shouldn’t care which chain they’re on. Developers should target APIs without worrying about consensus mechanisms. That’s why we built on Cosmos and EVM—interoperability first," states Tjiputra.

This hybrid model, enabling enterprises to leverage the strengths of both Web2 and Web3 concurrently, underpins Tjiputra’s vision for the future of the internet. "Our vision is a truly peer-to-peer foundation for a people-powered internet, one that minimizes single points of failure through multi-region, multi-operator design," he says. "By distributing compute and storage across contributors, we gain both cost efficiency and end-to-end security by default." He acknowledges that while the ultimate goal is a more people-powered internet, "we’re still at the starting point and growing."

While Web3 may not yet be challenging the dominance of established Web2 giants, its commercial advantages, particularly in the context of the AI revolution, are becoming increasingly undeniable. With DePIN networks acting as crucial bridges, enterprises and developers can confidently step into the potential of Web3, secure in the knowledge that they are building on a foundation that balances innovation with established stability.

To delve deeper into the vision and technological underpinnings of AIOZ Network, interested parties can consult the AIOZ Network Vision Paper. This content was collaboratively produced by human writers, editors, analysts, and illustrators, with AI tools used solely for secondary production processes and subject to rigorous human review.