Workshop - 15th April 2025 - Remote
Data Points
Key Learnings
🌍 Macro Trends & Context (2030)
Quantum computing expected to rapidly advance — critical threat and opportunity.
AI-driven societal change:
Major workforce displacement expected → urgent need for new economic opportunities.
Transition period will be turbulent before AI creates net value.
Increased demand for self-sovereign data and identity → privacy and data control vital.
Decrease in trust in existing governance structures and between countries → opening space for blockchain-based trust systems.
Cultural norms and implicit institutions will remain slow to change, despite rapid tech shifts.
🌱 Opportunities for Blockchain / Cardano
Incentive systems: develop more granular systems for incentivizing work, contributions, and decentralized value creation.
Localised economies:
Support peer-to-peer (P2P) commerce to help displaced workers and create new global income streams.
Enable community-based loyalty programs and point systems that can scale globally.
Transparent voting & elections:
Huge opportunity for blockchain to enable transparent, trusted elections — strong citizen demand, but political resistance likely.
Education & upskilling:
Support mass education efforts to help people reskill for AI-driven and blockchain-driven economies.
Blockchain can provide verifiable credentials for new skill pathways.
Gaming:
Early successful adoption in blockchain-based games where users are unaware they are using blockchain — valuable model for broader adoption.
Potential for asset ownership and cross-game economies.
Supply chain & authenticity tracking:
Strong fit for blockchain in tracking provenance and ensuring verifiable authenticity of goods.
⚠ Barriers to Mass Adoption
Poor UX → blockchain apps still too difficult to use for mainstream audiences.
Onboarding to Web3 → entry points are unclear and fragmented.
Government resistance:
Governments and large companies will actively resist blockchain systems that reduce their power.
Expect regulatory pushback, especially as blockchain starts touching money and governance.
Trust building is essential:
Public trust in blockchain is fragile — must overcome history of scams and poor projects.
Cardano should differentiate as a trustworthy, sustainable, long-term player.
Too many blockchain options:
Users are overwhelmed by choices → Cardano must position as a clear, reliable, reputable option.
Legal & compliance hurdles:
In regions like Nigeria, legal blockers and unclear compliance standards hinder adoption.
L1 scalability still a blocker for future transaction volumes.
🏛 Governance & Ecosystem Insights
Reputation systems & sybil resistance:
Current reputation systems not sufficient to prevent plutocracy or centralization by large stakers.
Need more nuanced governance tooling to balance power and incentivize participation.
L2 + L1 balance:
Layer 2 solutions are essential to achieving product-market fit and transaction volume growth.
L1 must be prepared to scale in parallel and support growing L2 ecosystems.
Clear need for a roadmap to decide what belongs on L1 vs L2.
Cardano should focus its messaging:
Cardano L1 should be promoted as enterprise-grade infrastructure — secure, reliable, immutable.
Consumers don't need to know they're using blockchain — good abstraction improves UX.
Builders and developers should be a key target audience.
🗳 Community & Cultural Signals
Participants appreciate collaborative, small-group discussions — they foster deeper insights.
Recognition that governance transparency is a double-edged sword — politicians and institutions may resist open systems.
A key goal is to make Cardano governance accessible and trusted, with a focus on long-term institutional engagement.
Summary Narrative
AI and quantum computing will reshape economies and governance in the next 5–10 years → blockchain has a vital role to play in providing trust, transparency, and new economic pathways.
Cardano should focus on:
Local and global P2P commerce,
Transparent voting,
Supply chain tracking,
Gaming adoption,
Identity & data self-sovereignty,
and education for an AI-driven future.
Mass adoption barriers must be addressed urgently:
UX, onboarding, legal clarity, trust building, and scalability.
Cardano’s messaging must evolve to focus on its enterprise-grade trustworthiness and ecosystem value — not just L1 branding.
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