AI Tokens Rocket as Bitcoin Drags Crypto Out of the Trenches
Forget the bear market—AI-linked cryptocurrencies are staging a violent comeback, riding Bitcoin’s coattails as the OG crypto leads a sector-wide rebound.
The usual suspects (BTC, ETH) get the headlines, but it’s the AI tokens quietly printing triple-digit gains that tell the real story. Neural networks meet network effects—and Wall Street’s still stuck explaining NFTs to boomer clients.
Will it last? Who cares. In crypto, you don’t need fundamentals when you’ve got FOMO and a fresh narrative. Just don’t look at the SEC’s enforcement calendar.
That growth includes notable movements from research agent and crypto influencer AIXBT, an autonomous agent built on Virtuals Protocol which at one point was just shy of a $1 billion market cap. But even after an 73% gain this week, the token is still 82% off its January all-time high.
Blockchains with deep connections to AI, like Bittensor (TAO) and NEAR Protocol (NEAR) have also jumped more than 9% in the last week as well.
Why now? Aside from a broader market response that has thrust Bitcoin back above $95,000, there is no clear and obvious catalyst for crypto AI tokens at present time. But teams continue to develop in the space, including Virtuals Protocol, which recently unveiled its Genesis launch mechanism for fairer access to agent tokens.
Plus, crypto VCs are still throwing money at the sector as well. Last week, Fortune outlined Paradigm’s big bet on AI accelerator company Nous Research, which announced a $50 million fundraise at a reported $1 billion token valuation.
The broader artificial intelligence category is up 14% on the week according to CoinGecko, bringing its total market cap to just under $26 billion. Top crypto assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum have gained 4% and 7.6% comparatively
Edited by Andrew Hayward
