Today, Brother B has to talk to you about a serious matter. Two guys used digital collectibles to scam money and were directly sentenced to 8 and a half years! This issue has stirred up a lot of controversy in the community, with some saying, 'It's about time! These scammers should be dealt with,' while others are upset, saying, 'This punishes everyone for the actions of a few!'

Let's first talk about these two audacious individuals. Back in 2023, they spent 2888 yuan to buy a bunch of AI-generated digital images, hired a third-party company to 'put them on the blockchain,' and had the audacity to package them as 'high-value digital collectibles.'

What’s even more outrageous is that they shouted, 'Half-price guaranteed returns,' and 'Definitely will appreciate,' playing tricks with 'blind boxes' and 'synthesizing,' while they themselves manipulated prices back and forth to trick people into handing over their money. When people realized something was wrong and wanted a refund? They were directly blocked. Pretty ruthless, right?

The court sentenced them for investment fraud, which seems fair, right? But here comes the controversy—someone jumped out saying, 'Are AI-generated images worthless? Aren't designers' works also created by computers?' Others took it seriously: 'Putting something on the blockchain is a technology; why is it said that their blockchain work has no value? Does that mean in the future, serious digital collectibles must first prove that their works have 'cultural and artistic support'? Who sets these standards?'

What’s even more interesting are the operations of those platforms. Now, many digital collectible platforms are also engaging in 'priority buying' and 'airdrops,' even secretly encouraging everyone to speculate on prices. Where exactly is the line between this and the tricks of those two scammers? This time, the court focused on 'guaranteed returns' and 'lack of qualifications,' but in reality, how many platforms are hinting at making money under the guise of 'empowerment' and 'promising future'? Does this count as cutting corners?

What do you think? Should we crack down on these irregularities strictly, or should we leave some room for innovation? Let’s discuss in the comments!