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 Levin
Co-founder of XYO Network

Links Mentioned

XYO Network: https://xyo.network
COIN App: https://coinapp.co
Build with XYO: https://xyo.network/build
Partnership inquiries: partnerships@xyo.network

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.