Cardano Founder Backs AI in Future Blockchain Marketing

Hoskinson Defends AI Influencer Post

@Cardano $ADA founder Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles) has pushed back on community criticism after an AI-generated influencer appeared on the official Input Output X account. The Midnight City team had been experimenting with AI-generated influencers, one of which was posted on the Input Output account. The move was made in good faith to showcase new possibilities, but it drew a negative reaction from followers.

Hoskinson defended the move as transparent trial-and-error, arguing that the team is showing what these tools can do rather than hiding behind polished output. He also referenced OpenClaw, an open-source agent project he described as gaining momentum rapidly.

AI as Core Infrastructure for Cardano and Midnight City

For Hoskinson, the controversy is a small part of a much larger strategic shift. He highlighted the extensive AI agent exploration underway as development of Midnight City continues. Midnight City is an interactive AI simulation and testing platform for the Midnight Network, modelling a living society where autonomous agents work, trade, and generate economic activity, enabling users to view transactions through public, auditor, and regulatory lenses.

His reasoning is structural: a blockchain community that grows from thousands to millions cannot be supported by linear hiring, so automation has to take over the routine layer of reporting, moderation, and outreach across every channel. Hoskinson sketched out what comes next in stronger terms, including AI chief marketing officers, broadcasting tools that feel lifelike, and a long-term bet on integrating every emerging AI standard.

Midnight allows users to keep transactions private by default while sharing specific data with authorized parties when required. The network uses zero-knowledge proofs to enable selective disclosure. Hoskinson framed the AI influencer experiment as consistent with that ethos of open experimentation, telling critics the team would continue to explore and iterate as the technology evolves.

Sources:
Hoskinson Bets Big on AI as Midnight City Development Pushes Forward (BeInCrypto)
Cardano Founder Breaks Down AI and the Future of Marketing (U.Today)
Charles Hoskinson Announces Midnight Blockchain and Midnight City Simulation (CoinDesk)