幣市観測局 × ABGA Kevin：AIがWeb3の「分身」となった時、大規模普及が真に始まる

In the past year, the primary market has cooled down, GameFi has stalled, and fundraising has become more difficult. Many once-thriving narratives quickly fell silent. But at this very moment, ABGA, once focused on Web3 gaming, recently completed a brand upgrade: from Asia Blockchain Gaming Alliance to AI Blockchain Global Alliance. Behind this change lies Kevin Shao's reassessment of the next industry direction.

In this episode of "Crypto Market Watch," we spoke with Kevin Shao, founder of ABGA & ICC: As AI enters Web3, what changes will the next truly large-scale application bring? Why does he believe Web3 VCs haven't truly died? And, in today's rapidly changing era, how should an entrepreneur view cycles, opportunities, and long-termism?

Guest: Kevin Shao, Founder of ABGA & ICC

Host: yuanyuan, BitMart Marketing VP

(Listen to this episode here: https://www.xiaoyuzhoufm.com/episode/6a057f061b7bd50295231bee )

From "Asia Game" to "AI Global": The Industry Changed, the Organization Had to Change Too

In 2013, Kevin was inspired by Chang Jia's "Bitcoin: A Real and Illusory Financial World." He started his journey in the blockchain industry through mining, later quitting his traditional finance job to go all-in. With the expansion of the Web3 ecosystem, he gradually shifted from pure investment towards more ecosystem and industry organizational work, which was also the starting point for founding ABGA.

When ABGA was first established, it coincided with the boom in GameFi and public chain ecosystems. At that time, Asia had a mature gaming industry foundation, so they used the "Asia Blockchain Gaming Alliance" as an entry point to help startup teams connect with capital and continuously hold large-scale developer events during global blockchain conferences.

Now, with ABGA renamed to AI Blockchain Global Alliance, the most intuitive external reaction is that the track has changed, but Kevin sees it more as a logical completion. He believes that today's technological competition is already global, and AI is massively unleashing productivity. Simply put: AI generates new intelligent agents, while blockchain solves the trust, payment, and rights confirmation issues between these agents.

These two are not about one replacing the other; they are foundational technologies destined to work together. The deep resources accumulated over the past few years will continue to help ABGA, based in Asia, connect globally and restructure resources within the new technological cycle.

Why AI Could Be the Next Driver for Web3

In Kevin's view, the "mass adoption" that Web3 has been touting for years might not primarily involve "humans."

He stated bluntly in the conversation: "Agents belong to blockchain, just as they are inherently equipped with skills." Wallet operations and on-chain interactions, which present high barriers for ordinary users, are merely code instructions meant to be automatically executed for Agents.

Therefore, he believes that future Mass Adoption may not be directly driven by humans. Humans have a long cognitive barrier to learning this technology. But when a person delegates most operations to their AI avatar, blockchain naturally becomes the underlying entry point. The real explosion of Web3 might not occur because ordinary users learn to use wallets, but because our AI Agents behind the scenes complete all on-chain interactions seamlessly.

At the same time, he is very focused on the combination of AI with finance and RWA. In fact, Kevin started paying attention to STO (Securities Token Offering) back in 2019, but the industry environment wasn't mature enough then. Now, with stablecoins, RWAs, and traditional financial institutions re-entering the market, many things that didn't materialize back then are being validated again. For him, whether it's AI or RWA, these are long-term trends, not short-term hotspots.

Demystifying Investment: The Primary Market Was Never a Story of Exorbitant Profits

Regarding the topic "Web3 VC is Dead," Kevin, as an investor who has funded hundreds of projects, offers a different perspective.

He first argues that VCs shouldn't be categorized by "Web3." Although the primary market has indeed been tough in recent years, with "inability to invest or exit" being common, he doesn't believe the role of VC has disappeared. On the contrary, he thinks this is a process of "demystification." In the past, many people thought the primary market was too easy, but after engaging in long-term investing, one realizes that primary investing is inherently an industry with a very high failure rate; 70% of projects failing is normal. VC is essentially hard work, demanding high industry understanding and resilience from the team.

Kevin says he prefers to look at things that can transcend cycles. For example, the evolution from STO in 2019 to RWA now shows that truly valuable technological directions don't disappear. The key is whether you can persist at the table during downturns.

The Future Web3 Ecosystem: An Infrastructure Hidden in the Background

In Kevin's view, the future Web3 ecosystem will definitely look very different from today. The current industry core is still "humans" conducting financial transactions on-chain, but in the future, AI Agents will become new participating entities. When Agents start handling complex transactions, executing tasks, and making automatic payments for humans, blockchain will gradually recede into the background, becoming a hidden infrastructure where AI manages all the complexity.

Meanwhile, DeFi will continue to evolve. Although it has gone through many bubbles, Kevin believes the value of blockchain in the financial sector is real and irreversible. Whether stablecoins or on-chain finance, they will continue to grow, and the addition of AI will only accelerate the iteration speed of these systems.

Interest-Driven is More Important Than "Timing the Market"

Throughout the conversation, Kevin repeatedly used one word: Interest.

He is reluctant to label himself as a "successful investor." For him, what matters more is whether he still retains passion for this endeavor. Wealth often involves luck, but interest and passion determine whether one can stay when the industry is at its quietest.

When asked whether he would advise a young person today wanting to enter Web3 or AI to go all-in, his answer was direct: "If you truly believe in it, just do it." Many opportunities arise precisely when the industry is least bustling.

Just like the case he shared in the podcast: a friend with poor English, overwhelmed by school emails for his three children, solved a specific annoyance through AI. It might not be a world-changing event, but it genuinely changed a person's life state. This is precisely where AI's greatest value lies – it doesn't have to solve the grandest problems first; it enters everyone's specific life first.

Conclusion

By the end of the conversation, you find that Kevin is not someone swayed by industry sentiment. He doesn't become overly optimistic because a certain track is hot, nor completely pessimistic because a bear market arrives.

In his view, both AI and Web3 are still in very early stages. Many things that seem infeasible today might become obvious suddenly after a breakthrough in some technology node in a few years. What truly matters is not short-term price fluctuations, but whether you are willing to stay at the table, keep learning, and adapt to change.

Perhaps this is also why, while many discuss "Web3 VC is Dead," he still chooses to deeply cultivate ABGA. Because truly long-term opportunities are often born when the industry is at its quietest. Leave the rest to time.

Recording date of this episode: April 28, 2026

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