Why AI is so centralized: How it's built, who controls it, and what comes next

Why AI is so centralized: How it's built, who controls it, and what comes next

From a16z crypto show by a16z crypto, Robert Hackett, Sonal Chokshi

April 22, 2026 · 17 min · Episode 113

About this episode

Gensyn cofounders discuss the centralization of AI infrastructure and the potential for a decentralized future.

Gensyn cofounders Ben Fielding and Harry Grieve join us to discuss why AI’s infrastructure problem runs deeper than most people think. They explain how today’s AI ecosystem depends on a highly centralized stack of data and compute, why that matters, and what it would take to rebuild AI as open, decentralized infrastructure. Along the way, they cover how AI models are trained, why crypto may be essential to the future of AI coordination, and the rise of autonomous AI agents with onchain identities.

People in this episode

Hosts: Robert Hackett, Sonal Chokshi

Guests: Ben Fielding, Harry Grieve

Topics covered

  • AI infrastructure
  • centralization
  • decentralization
  • crypto
  • autonomous AI agents

Keywords

  • AI
  • centralization
  • decentralization
  • crypto
  • autonomous agents
  • data
  • compute

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Gensyn, AI, crypto

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