I don't know what qualifies as real currency-fashion to you but you can purchase things and services from many different places. At times credit card payment processors may be down you can use bitcoin to pay. It doesn't have to replace a currency it can be used as another way to spend or collect money.

It's also good in situations where you want to accept money but not open yourself up to risk like a donation button. A risk exists selling a product via credit card around chargebacks this method removes that risk.

In practice it works well and is being used. It's not replacing the dollar but it doesn't need to.

Classic speculative AI developer;)

> Meanwhile, AI is enabling people right now, today, to help build and learn things they normally wouldnt do.

Are you sincerely suggesting nobody ever built or learnt anything from crypto?