The worlds of AI and crypto are colliding in a big way, and it looks like crypto AI agents are stealing the spotlight.
But before you jump on the bandwagon, a report from Swiss crypto bank Sygnum warns that while these projects are gaining traction, they’re still highly speculative.
Promising, but very early stage development
In their latest quarterly investment outlook, Sygnum researchers noted a rise of interest in AI-related crypto projects, especially the rising star of AI-powered agents, little programs that use AI to perform tasks and make decisions with minimal human input.
Sounds futuristic, but Sygnum cautioned that despite their impressive growth, these agents haven’t yet proven their worth beyond mere speculation.
While crypto AI agents are still figuring things out, Sygnum pointed out that infrastructure-focused projects are tackling real-world challenges.
Initiatives like Bittensor, Artificial Superintelligence Alliance, and Phala Network are integrating AI services with decentralized applications to meet important data and computational needs.
New technology, new frontiers
And let’s not forget the market intelligence platforms driven by AI, like aixbt, which are becoming popular among traders looking for advanced analytical tools powered by machine learning.
Despite some lingering doubts, tokens linked to AI agent creation protocols are riding the wave of sector expansion, as Sygnum highlighted that the market cap for AI agent tokens more than doubled last quarter, hitting a cool $10 billion.
CoinGecko even reported that by Q4 2024, this sector reached $15 billion, showing just how hungry investors are for AI-driven innovations.
A key player in this growth is Agentic AI, a type of artificial intelligence that automates decision-making and multi-step reasoning.
This tech allows AI agents to tackle complex tasks with little human oversight, making them super valuable in trading, social media, and DeFi.
It’s a worldwide trend
Sygnum’s findings echo what other big names in the industry are saying. Franklin Templeton researchers predict that AI agents will shake up social media, while OpenAI CEO Sam Altman believes these agents could be part of our workforce as soon as 2025.
Even tech giants like Google and Meta are pouring resources into agentic AI, with Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg forecasting that over a billion people will be using AI assistants soon.
On the crypto side, Alvin Kan from Bitget Wallet sees AI-driven investments and decentralized agents signaling a major shift, though he warns it comes with its own risks. Sygnum also pointed out that crypto AI agents aren’t without their vulnerabilities.
They noted recent developments in cheaper Chinese AI technologies triggered a sell-off in related crypto assets.
For instance, when the new Chinese model DeepSeek launched, it sent shockwaves through both US AI stocks and crypto projects focused on AI.
