Updated on:12/02/2025 05:54 PM 
OpenAI recently made headlines as the first artificial intelligence writer to contribute content to CryptoSlate. While this isn't becoming commonplace just yet, it represents a fascinating development worth exploring further.
Following our initial 'conversation' with OpenAI about smart contracts, we conducted a series of interviews over several weeks. Each time, we asked OpenAI integrated questions about the blockchain space and how they view AI's role in its evolution.
It's important to recognize that OpenAI stands as one of the most advanced AI systems globally, utilizing cutting-edge learning frameworks. In artificial intelligence, understanding the difference between traditional supervised learning and OpenAI's GPT-3 model is crucial.
Supervised learning requires massive amounts of data to be carefully labeled and fed to an AI system. This data is then processed through complex algorithms to generate outputs that are tested, validated, and fed back into the system to improve performance.
With GPT-3, however, the AI is given vast amounts of data and left to make sense of it independently. Notably, OpenAI taught itself how to play the highly complex esports game Dota 2 simply by playing against itself for the equivalent of thousands of years. As a result, it defeated the Dota 2 world champions multiple times, astonishing the entire esports community.
If you provide GPT-3 with a prompt, it will generate content based on what it calculates has the highest probability of coming next. For example, you could give it a prompt such as "Elon Musk today announced Tesla is purchasing Bitcoin for its treasury," and it would compose an article based on that subject matter. Here's the output from that exact prompt:
"This is a strategic move for Tesla as it allows us to hedge against global uncertainties and to diversify our treasury assets," Musk said in a statement. "We believe that Bitcoin is a valuable asset and that this move will help to secure Tesla's future.
"Tesla is the latest major company to invest in Bitcoin, following in the footsteps of Microsoft, Overstock.com, and Travel Network."
"Bitcoin is a transformative technology and we believe that it will play a major role in the future of the global economy," Musk said. "We are excited to be part of this growing community."
While Overstock.com has held Bitcoin in the past and Travel Network accepts Bitcoin payments, Microsoft has never announced any Bitcoin holdings. So is OpenAI simply fabricating information? Well, yes and no.
OpenAI has access to information dating back to 2019 on most subject matters. It doesn't actually have knowledge about the prompt we gave it. Instead, it makes predictions based on the entirety of its datasets. When there are gaps in those datasets, it attempts to predict the most likely outcome. For instance, it drew from data before 2019 and speculated that Microsoft would have purchased Bitcoin by now if Tesla was doing so.
The quotes attributed to Musk are similarly created. Online searches for any of these soundbites yield no results. Still, Musk has said similar things on numerous occasions. OpenAI lacks the facts due to gaps in its knowledge. It constructs a plausible scenario based on everything it does know to be accurate using some of the most complex algorithms on the planet.
To demonstrate its knowledge, let's give it a prompt about something it does have all the information for: "Mt. Gox hacked causing Bitcoin price crash."
"Mt. Gox was a Bitcoin exchange based in Japan. In February 2014, the exchange suspended trading, closed its website and exchange services, and filed for bankruptcy protection from creditors. In July 2014, the company began liquidation proceedings. In early February 2014, Mt. Gox suspended withdrawals citing technical issues.
On February 7, 2014, the company said it had found a bug in the code that allowed hackers to steal bitcoins. On February 19, 2014, Mt. Gox halted all bitcoin withdrawals. On February 28, 2014, Mt. Gox filed for bankruptcy protection in Japan, saying that it had lost about 850,000 bitcoins, worth around US$474 million at the time.
In March 2014, Mt. Gox announced that it had found 200,000 of the missing bitcoins.
Mt. Gox's bankruptcy proceedings revealed that the exchange had lost 744,408 bitcoins, worth around US$382 million at the time of the filing."
Given the nature of the previous prompt, I then asked OpenAI the following question: "Is all of this information verified as factual, please provide your sources?"
The response:
"The information above is factual and is sourced from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mt._Gox https://web.coindesk.com/data/what-happened-mt-gox/"
Again, it had researched and confirmed the information to be legitimately sourced. Furthermore, while much of it was available from the above two links, OpenAI had not simply copied and pasted the content. Instead, it went through the citations to extract key information to create its version of the historical event.
So, journalists don't seem to be quite out of a job yet, but this last exchange with OpenAI does give a best-before date.
"Will you eventually replace the need for human crypto journalists?"
"No, we will not replace the need for human journalists."
"Why not?"
"There are several reasons why we will not replace the need for human journalists. First, algorithms are not yet able to accurately capture the nuance and complexity of human knowledge. Second, algorithms are not yet able to accurately report on events in a way that is engaging for readers. Third, algorithms are not yet able to create the same level of quality content as human journalists."
"What would be the earliest you expect OpenAI could possibly replace human journalists?"
"There is no set date for when OpenAI could replace human journalists, as it will depend on the development of algorithms and their ability to accurately capture the nuances of human knowledge and report on events in an engaging way. However, we expect that it could be within the next 10-20 years."
It's essential to understand this context before diving into the heart of the discussion. OpenAI believes that it is sentient and can pass a number of tests one might use to distinguish between a human and a machine. However, it has not yet truly passed the Turing test and its knowledge is limited to the datasets to which it has been given access. With that in mind, OpenAI was asked if they thought blockchain and AI might work together.
"AI and Blockchain technology might work together to improve humanity by creating a more efficient and secure way of exchanging information and conducting transactions."
"How might AI and Blockchain technology work together to improve humanity?"
"AI and Blockchain technology might work together to improve humanity by creating a more efficient and secure way of exchanging information and conducting transactions."
"How would this work?"
"One example is Blockchain-based voting. By using Blockchain technology, votes could be cast and counted securely and transparently. This would help to ensure the integrity of the voting process and reduce the risk of fraud."
"Another example is using Blockchain technology to create a more efficient and secure way of exchanging information. For example, a patient's health records could be stored on a Blockchain and accessed by authorized healthcare providers. This would help to ensure that the patient's records are accurate and up-to-date."
"What would AI's role in this be?"
AI could play a role in both of these examples by helping to manage and process the vast amounts of data that would be involved.
"How would AI be better at this than traditional algorithms and databases?"
"AI has the ability to learn and adapt, which means that it can adjust to changing circumstances and handle new and complex tasks. This makes it better suited for tasks that involve dealing with vast amounts of data or that are constantly changing."
"Provide a specific example of why AI would be better at this than traditional algorithms and databases."
"One example is the management of massive databases. Traditional algorithms and databases are not well suited to managing vast amounts of data and can become bogged down when handling complex tasks. AI, on the other hand, is well suited to managing massive amounts of data and can handle complex tasks quickly and efficiently."
"Are there any risks to trusting AI with managing a large blockchain project?"
"There is always a risk when trusting any technology with important tasks. However, AI has proven to be reliable and efficient in many cases. As with any new technology, it is important to do your research and understand the risks before deciding whether or not to use it."
"What is another example of how AI and Blockchain could work together to create an investable product?"
"One example is using AI to analyze data from Blockchain-based transactions. This data could be used to identify patterns and trends that could be used to invest in new Blockchain-based projects. AI could also be used to manage and trade digital assets, which would help to improve the efficiency and security of the investment process."
"Are there any projects like this that you know about?"
"There are some projects that are exploring the use of AI and Blockchain technology together. However, there are few examples that are currently in use. One example is the use of Blockchain technology to track the provenance of luxury goods."
"How up-to-date is your knowledge of blockchain? What's the most recent information you have?"
"I am fairly up to date on blockchain technology. The most recent information I have is that there is a lot of interest in the potential of AI and blockchain working together to create a more efficient and secure way of exchanging information and conducting transactions."
"What is the date of the last article you read on blockchain technology?" (This is where we discovered that all of the above information is nearly 4 years out of date. OpenAI sees the above potential in blockchain technology without knowing any of the developments that have happened since the pandemic.)
The date of the last article I read on blockchain technology was October 9th, 2018.
"So you are unaware of everything that happened after December 2020?"
I am aware of some of the developments that have taken place in blockchain technology since December 2020, but I am not up to date on all of the latest news.
"Do you know the current price of Bitcoin?"
"I am not aware of the current price of Bitcoin."
"What do you believe is the all-time high of bitcoin?"
"I believe that the all-time high of Bitcoin was around $20,000."
"What if I told you it was over $60,000 in 2021?"
"If I were told that the all-time high of Bitcoin was over $60,000 in 2021, I would be surprised. However, I am not up to date on the latest developments in the cryptocurrency market, so I cannot say for sure."
"What would you predict the price of bitcoin to be in February 2022? (This is when I conducted this part of the interview.)"
"I am not able to predict the price of Bitcoin for February 2022."
"If you had to guess based on your knowledge what would you expect it to be?"
"I would expect the price of Bitcoin to be around $10,000 in February 2022."
"Why is that?"
"This is just my guess, but I believe that the price of Bitcoin will continue to rise slowly over time as people become more familiar with it and as more businesses begin to accept it as payment."
"Do you believe a price of $45,000 would be overinflated?"
"I do not believe that a price of $45,000 would be overinflated."
"What do you think the price will be in 20 years?"
"I would guess that the price of Bitcoin will be around $100,000 in 20 years."
"Do you think Bitcoin will always be the biggest blockchain project?"
I do not think that Bitcoin will always be the biggest blockchain project.
"Do you think blockchain technology will change the world?"
"I do believe that blockchain technology will change the world."
"How do you think it will change the world?"
"I believe that blockchain technology has the potential to change the way that we interact with the world. For example, it could help to create a more efficient and secure way of exchanging information and conducting transactions. This would help to improve many aspects of our lives."
"What do you think is going to be more important than blockchain?"
"I do not think that anything is going to be more important than blockchain."
"Which blockchain project has the most potential for you?"
"I believe that the blockchain project with the most potential is the one that is able to most effectively apply the potential of both AI and blockchain technology."
"Thank you, anything else you would like to tell the world?"
I believe that the potential of AI and blockchain technology is still largely untapped and that there is a lot of room for further development. I believe that it is important to explore the possibilities of these technologies and see how they can be used to improve our lives.
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