The Bad Crypto Podcast

In this sponsored episode of The Bad Crypto Podcast, Joel and Travis welcome back Markus Levin, co-founder of XYO Network, a project first featured on the show back in the ICO days of 2018. Unlike many projects from that era, XYO is still building.
The conversation centers on a huge problem in both crypto and AI: digital systems are often blind to the real world. Smart contracts, AI agents, apps, and autonomous systems can process data, but they do not automatically know whether that data is true, where it came from, or whether someone tampered with it.
That is where XYO comes in.
Markus explains how XYO has evolved from a proof-of-location network into what the team describes as a truth layer for real-world data. Using devices, mobile phones, sensors, NFC tags, cryptographic proofs, and its own data-focused Layer 1 blockchain, XYO is working to verify events, actions, assets, and real-world information so AI systems and blockchain applications can operate with greater certainty.
Joel, Travis, and Markus also dig into the COIN app, which allows users to earn rewards for contributing real-world data, and the broader XYO ecosystem, including the XYO token, XL1 token, proof of origin, zero-knowledge privacy protections, and the newly announced AI infrastructure verification partnership with Setter Labs.
The big idea: as AI becomes more powerful, the question may not be whether a model can generate an answer. The question is whether it can prove where that answer came from.
Topics Covered
Why AI agents and smart contracts are still “blind” to the physical world
How XYO began as a proof-of-location project in 2018
Why GPS and location data can be spoofed
The role of blockchain in verifying real-world events
What “proof of origin” means and why it matters
How XYO collects and verifies real-world data
Why bad data may be one of AI’s biggest problems
How verified data could reduce AI hallucinations
The COIN app and how users can earn rewards for data collection
XYO’s Layer 1 blockchain and the XL1 token
The difference between XYO, XL1, COIN, and other ecosystem assets
How zero-knowledge proofs help preserve privacy
Why decentralized physical infrastructure networks may become increasingly important
How XYO is moving into AI infrastructure and AI agent verification
The new XYO AI SDK and what developers can build with it
Why long-term survival matters in crypto
Joel’s reminder that sponsored projects must still pass Bad Crypto vetting
Featured Guest
Markus LevinCo-founder of XYO Network
Links Mentioned
XYO Network: https://xyo.networkCOIN App: https://coinapp.coBuild with XYO: https://xyo.network/buildPartnership inquiries: [email protected]
Disclosure
This is a sponsored episode of The Bad Crypto Podcast. Joel and Travis were compensated to feature XYO Network, but the project passed their vetting process before being brought to the Bad Crypto audience.
Support the show: https://badcryptopodcast.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AI video has officially gone off the hook, off the chain, and possibly off the planet.
In Episode 808 of The Bad Crypto Podcast, Joel Comm and Travis Wright are back in their original human form to explore just how crazy AI video creation has become. Travis shows off the latest evolution of his long-running Cornytopia project, including consistent AI-generated characters, animated scenes, and the kind of visual storytelling that used to require a full studio, a production crew, and a painful budget.
The guys also break down how Travis created a cinematic AI video for Multibank.io, including how he used tools like Google Flow, ChatGPT image generation, character reference sheets, storyboard prompting, and AI video models to build something in days that an agency said would take weeks.
Also in this episode:
Joel shares the latest on his upcoming book, AI Made Simple: Artificial Intelligence for Everyday Life, coming December 1, 2026 from Morgan James Publishing. The mission is simple: help everyday people, especially those who feel intimidated by AI, gain the confidence to actually use it.
Pre-order the book at:https://AIMadeSimpleBook.com
And because this is still The Bad Crypto Podcast, Joel and Travis also check in on Bitcoin, Ethereum, the crypto markets, and the ongoing weirdness of where all this may be headed.
This one is highly visual, so yes, you really may want to watch instead of just listen.
http://youtube.com/badcryptopodcast
Subscribe, like, comment, and stay bad.
Support the show: https://badcryptopodcast.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bitcoin has blasted past $81,000, but somehow that is not even the wildest story in crypto this week.
In Episode 807 of The Bad Crypto Podcast, Joel Comm and Travis Wright break down a massive week where Bitcoin ETF inflows surged, Michael Saylor’s Bitcoin stack grew to nearly 4% of the total supply, Google committed up to $40 billion toward Anthropic, and AI agents began crossing into territory once reserved for humans: opening accounts, making payments, and deploying software.
The boys also dig into the explosive growth of tokenized real-world assets, including Treasuries, gold, and stocks moving on-chain, plus the looming May 21st deadline for the Clarity Act and what it could mean for XRP and the broader crypto market.
Crypto, AI, and traditional finance are no longer separate stories. They are becoming one very strange, very powerful story.
Welcome to the future. Stay bad.
Support the show: https://badcryptopodcast.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Joel and Travis handed the producer role to AI and let it choose the top 10 stories in crypto. Surprisingly, the machine delivered.
Episode 806 covers Kraken’s direct access to Fed payment rails, the growing push toward tokenized stocks, the stalled progress of the U.S. Bitcoin reserve, the latest Trump meme coin pump, and why stablecoins may be becoming the true financial infrastructure story of crypto.
They also dig into Bitcoin outperforming gold during wartime, how banks are trying to protect their turf as stablecoin legislation moves forward, and why the next phase of adoption may have less to do with hype and more to do with rails, regulation, and real-world use.
It’s a fast-moving roundup of the biggest crypto stories of the week, with analysis, sarcasm, and a few detours only Bad Crypto could make work.
Show notes at http://badco.in/806
Stay bad!
Support the show: https://badcryptopodcast.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if the internet stopped waiting for you… and started working for you?
In this episode, Joel and Travis show the real AI tools, agents, and systems they’re building right now — from automated news engines and live signal feeds to content publishing systems, games, voice clones, and blockchain-powered experiments.
This is why we think Web 4.0 has arrived.
We break down:
Why Web 4.0 means the web is now building itself

How AI agents are researching, writing, coding, and running workflows

Travis’ AI-powered war news site and custom news anchor

Joel’s automated content engine for WorldVillage

Baseball Sudoku built with AI

New Blockchain Heroes videos and a working game prototype built in hours

Why the “idea person” is now more powerful than ever

How fast this technology is moving — and why most people still have no idea what’s coming

The tools are getting better.
The agents are getting smarter.
And the people who learn how to use them now are going to have a serious advantage.
This is not theory.
This is what we’re actually building.
Watch, get inspired, and then go build something.
Show notes and links:http://badco.in/805
If you’re experimenting with AI agents, tools, or automations, tell us what you’re building in the comments.
Stay bad.
#AI #Web4 #OpenClaw #ClaudeCode #Automation #BadCryptoPodcast #WorldVillage #BlockchainHeroes
Support the show: https://badcryptopodcast.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.