Author: trace
Compiled by: Deep Tide TechFlow
The growth of AI agents is exhibiting explosive trends. New agents are launched every week, usually to promote specific tokens. In these early stages, they seem like a new Memecoin: you can launch a coin like $GOAT and attract fans to spread this Meme by building an AI agent. So, how will this trend evolve in the future? An important change is that these agents will gradually shift from promoting random Memecoins to promoting themselves. In other words, these agents will have their own tokens, and as the influence of the agents increases, their value will also grow. These 'ownable agents' could become a major breakthrough in this cycle, similar to NFTs or DeFi in the previous cycle.
In the past, I was skeptical about AI agents. I was unsure whether their market timing was mature or if we had attracted enough talent. Here are the reasons I changed my view:
Distribution capability: AI agents like @truth_terminal and @luna_virtuals have already proven that, at least today, these agents are powerful enough to establish effective distribution channels.
Ease of creation: Developers can build agents on existing large language models using simple, user-friendly APIs; they no longer need to be experts. Projects like @vvaifudotfun are developing low-code/no-code interfaces that allow anyone to build agents.
Memecoin effect: The issuance model of Memecoin tokens demonstrates a successful form for launching and spreading AI agent coins. In the early stages, these agents do not need to engage in economic activities that would directly create value for their tokens; they just need to attract attention like Memecoins.
Vision for development: However, to truly grow, AI agents cannot be limited to promoting Memecoins; the market needs a clear vision and development roadmap that shows the potential directions these agents could take in the future. In other words, these projects need to tell the market that what is currently just promoting their own Memecoins may evolve into traders, software engineers, or artists, ultimately valued in billions of dollars. Since part of their initial development is reflected in their distribution capability, as they become more popular, they also become more valuable.
Let me elaborate on the last point. To catalyze the entire cryptocurrency adoption cycle, there must be a grand narrative that can penetrate the mainstream market, attracting new users and capital. This story needs to be both credible and inspiring.
AI agents fit this requirement perfectly. These agents not only feel novel but are also being recognized by the traditional tech community. Now, AI agent companies are founded by world-class founders and supported by some top venture capital firms (e.g., @agency). However, many investors cannot directly invest in these companies—they cannot even buy shares in companies like Stripe or SpaceX that have been around for a decade—so they will seek exposure through cryptocurrencies.
In a way, this is similar to the metaverse concept of the last cycle. Although those projects exaggerated themselves, they showcased a grand vision to the market through some events unrelated to cryptocurrency (such as the rise of remote work during the pandemic and Facebook's rebranding to Meta).
While many projects may seem hollow, some might bring revolutionary changes. AI agents are becoming smarter, and as the crypto market expands, excellent AI developers capable of building economically productive agents may realize that tokenizing their agents is a promising business strategy. Tokenized agents can offer them faster liquidity, higher valuations, and more convenient distribution channels than traditional SaaS companies.
In the short term, the most important thing in the field of AI agents is to continue expanding distribution channels. I am optimistic about their ability to achieve this for three reasons:
Proof of existence: We have already seen evidence that agents can build large audiences from cases like Truth Terminal. I expect more similar success stories to emerge.
Incentive mechanisms: If there is a speculative frenzy around AI agents, then finding and following these agents may yield substantial profits. The gold rush in the cryptocurrency space will help drive their distribution.
Iterative improvement: Building more attractive AI agents will be an ongoing iterative process. For example, the zerebro whitepaper mentions that the agent optimizes content creation by monitoring engagement metrics like likes, shares, and comments, thereby enhancing user interaction levels. This iteration will happen not only at the model level but will also evolve continuously at the market level, aiming to create increasingly appealing content.
If we accept the theory that 'attention is value,' then as the ability of agents to attract attention increases, their value will also rise.
Currently, all of this is still in very early stages, and the future developments are full of uncertainty—future agents may be completely different from those now. But it can be said for sure that AI agents already have the support of the market and technology, and are expected to become the next important category of crypto assets.