Cryptocurrency and NFTs are both blockchain. Blockchain by definition have very limited applications. It is hyped because anyone can use it to rug pull others pretending to be an investement. I'm not putting my life savings in AI. Not only that, but how can I use blockchain to help me with my schooling or cooking or thinking through a conplex problem? Metaverse is a product from a single company, not a technology.
AI as an idea would be more comparable to electricity, internet, smart phones, or other widespread technological advancement. They impact basically every industry, both residential and commercial applications. They are a technology and not specific to a single company (though there are some dominant players). This is more like an advancement in a game that has just been unlocked. There is no re-locking it.
It is inevitable because even if everyone stopped making more, people would still be using it forever. It is already too good to not use. And it will only get better. That could not be said for your other examples. How is that anything but inevitable?
I think fighting the tech companies makes sense. But fighting AI as a technology does not make sense.
Blockchain was supposed to be very good for a handful of things. Smart contracts were never going to revolutionize the world, maybe a couple industries. I did not care about block chain technology, it was too specific.
I can have a personal tutor give me a customized lesson plan for little to no cost. It can look at large amounts of code in little to no time.
Energy comes from other sources than oil and methane. The fact the US is not prioritizing those alternate methods is a different problem.
AI will get more efficient, it will get better with less energy and storage. I am not saying the tech bros are not problematic. I am saying their problems do not negate the reality of AI as a technology, and the things it has unlocked.
Nuclear fusion created both atomic weapons and nuclear energy. Somebody advocating for nuclear energy is not also advocating for more nuclear warheads.