A way of agreeing on a blockchain's records in which computers compete to solve hard calculations. Bitcoin uses it; Ethereum used it until 2022.
For Tezos in particular, part of it was being quite interested in the differences between proof of work and proof of stake. The idea of enforcing the “reality” of the chain using either brute-force compute or the stake that people have in it is really interesting: that raw material versus social dichotomy.
Ryan Murdock, Ryan Murdock on Hacking AI
There are many extreme reactions against NFTs, and there have been since their big boom. Some of those negative reactions were tied to environmental issues with proof of work.
Matt DesLauriers, Matt DesLauriers on a Generative World