Matthew
@matthew
I want to talk to ChatGPT about books—granularly reference, make outlines, debate core points, expand on topics, etc. I would easily pay $20 per book to do this. Why can't OpenAI facilitate that txn, and why wouldn't authors be open to it? The alternative (pirating) feels like limewire before iTunes came around.
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Ben
@benersing
Its a frustration of mine as well. I'd especially like to query and discuss across all the books in my library. I bet it becomes possible once books onchain becomes a thing.
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Matthew
@matthew
Why does crypto have anything to do with it?
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Ben
@benersing
Technically, Web2 platforms could support AI queries for books - but it would introduce new costs and cut into margins. It’s unclear it would boost sales unless it becomes table stakes across the industry. Maybe it happens. But large-scale adoption is more likely to come from new entrants. An onchain-native player would have more tools for query-level rev share than a Web2 platform like Amazon could realistically support, making it more palatable to authors and publishers
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Matthew
@matthew
Well my guess is people who want this would pay a premium, so while over time yes it would cannibalize, I think it would still be net positive for the industry no? Not sure what you mean re "table stakes". And agree with your point on new entrants. I just don't understand why the new entrant needs to be onchain.
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Ben
@benersing
I agree on the premium. Rolling it out would require renegotiating all publisher contracts, and depending on the scope, additional security features. Putting on my 'large corporate' hat, I don’t see most executive teams getting excited enough about the incremental revenue to justify the operating cost and execution risk. By “table stakes,” I mean if Kindle launched it, others would follow to stay feature-competitive. A non-web3 newcomer would face a steep climb - competing head-to-head with incumbents in publisher negotiations while also building brand and market share against Amazon and Google. In contrast, an onchain P2P + AI-native reading/publishing model offers a significantly differentiated value prop for both authors and readers, attracting a unique early audience. The TAM is smaller today, but the long-term potential is much larger. With the right financial backers, a newcomer could break through and reshape the industry over the course of 15 years. This is personally where I'd put my money.
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