Filechain might be worth a look, distributed storage to allow people to rent out unused storage capacity in exchange for coins and based in IPFS which isn't blockchain but is neat.
Or Internet Computer, which is more or less a blockchain equivalent of the internet allowing you to for example host a website on it versus say AWS or GoDaddy, which has some potentially very positive benefits for data security and users being able to manage their own data as practical benefits.
What data? We are talking about projects and those projects are useless.
> but you do have to admit that some of the projects would do some good for the world when they catch on.
The will not catch on because they are useless for real world use. The most cost efficient way to do processing or data storage is within someones datacenter.
> I would love to have an easy system to distribute ML models and databases for projects without having to pay AWS fees for example.
I would love a free meal as well. It does not make sense for me to expect free lunches though.
It's not a "free lunch".
I would advise you to look into projects like these, as it appears you have a lack of expertise in this field. That knowledge gap isn't filled by dismissing projects with a religious like attitude
There's an entire blockchain-based industry being built in the gaming space as we speak, to allow player to trade NFT's (unique items in games).
There are many more.
> other than illegal money transfers
To address your point more directly: depending on the regime you live under, illegal money transfers are a life-saving device, so just that use case makes Bitcoin worth it.
