Written by: Haotian
Why must we not miss this wave of AI Agent narrative hype? Many still think AI Agents, like 'AI + DePIN, AI computing power/reasoning aggregation platforms, AI MEME', are just a fleeting trend. But I want to say that they are merely manifestations of the different stages of AI + Crypto integration, ultimately driving the arrival of the main upward wave of the bull market. Next, I will discuss my views point by point:
1) Overall, the narrative logic of AI + Crypto becoming the main upward wave of this bull market will not change, because the training of AGI large models and the future in-depth development of multimodal AI will increasingly demand traditional resources such as computing power, storage, and data. This means that the AI industry will be very competitive and cruel, and monopolies will be inevitable, which will undoubtedly cause a portion of small and medium enterprises' innovation demands to 'overflow'.
AI will bring 'incremental' fundamentals to the Crypto field, and the Crypto world can precisely accommodate this wave of overflowing resource demand.
For example, LLM training requires cheap computing power to integrate idle resources together; furthermore, some vertical fields such as healthcare and supply chain finance need privacy, for which Crypto's ZK+ distributed governance framework becomes a critical underlying layer. Additionally, distributed reasoning requires many scenario-optimized algorithm matches and an incentive framework that can record the reasoning process, which is precisely what Crypto Tokenomics excels at. Therefore, from a broader perspective, AI + Crypto is an irreversible inevitability.
2) However, AI + DePIN has seemingly cooled down after a wave of hype. Subsequently, many AI large projects, heavily invested by VCs in distributed aggregation computing power, algorithms, and reasoning, failed to create much of a stir. Recently, AI + MEME, represented by GOAT and others, has shown the market new vitality driven by community culture, followed by the naturally connected AI Agent coin issuance wave, which has given the market new hope for large-scale application landing of AI through Crypto.
At first glance, the AI narrative seems illogical, transitioning from DePIN to aggregated computing reasoning service platforms to MEME and finally landing on AI Agents. Does it seem to disprove the feasibility of AI + Crypto step by step?
I believe that AI + DePIN is laying the foundational infrastructure; distributed computing/reasoning platforms are building the computing power and algorithm incentive networks; AI + MEME is using secondary wealth effects to accelerate market education and dissemination of AI applications; AI Agents represent the ultimate application landing and user reach.
Based on this logic, it is not difficult to see that the AI + DePIN and computing reasoning aggregation networks to be built create an AI + Crypto scenario that is too large and heavy. They attempt to accommodate external demands that are not yet fully competitive and mature in the internet space, which will naturally appear redundant and meaningless in the Crypto field in the short term.
But what if we reverse the order of building infrastructure and issuing coins + MEME propagation?
First, let AI Agents with practical scenarios and lightweight demands develop in the Crypto field. During this process, high-quality Agents can connect with the MEME community for support. Once the momentum of AI asset issuance and AI MEME primitives is strong enough, wouldn't it make more sense to tackle the AI + Crypto infrastructure?
In other words, transitioning from developing 'fat protocols' to 'thin applications', using lightweight and quickly iterable thin applications to sound the charge, and then using MEME memes built on vertical scenes to drive secondary market users' Fomo, finally developing big visions for technologies that are lengthy and difficult to land, does this logic make sense?
3) So, let's focus on the AI Agent narrative. AI Agent refers to AI intelligent services that can make autonomous decisions and automate task execution, primarily aiming to improve human-machine collaboration efficiency through personalized scene customization and automated processes.
Common AI Agents are widely used in various scenarios such as code development, creative content generation, research assistance, personal finance planning, and professional consulting (e.g., legal, medical).
At this point, some may wonder why these AI Agents have already developed on a large scale in the web2 field, where their SaaS subscription, API call billing, and value-added services business models are operating normally. Why is there a need to issue coins in the web3 circle to create a bubble? What happened to the promised value application landing?
In my view, it is actually not contradictory. AI Agents do not thrive in a purely web2 environment, which is the premise for many Agents coming to web3 to issue coins. Moreover, the value accumulation in Crypto must undergo a bubble-blowing process; DeFi, NFT, inscriptions, GameFi, MEME, etc., have all experienced the Fomo period of 'asset issuance stories'.
This seemingly bubble period of financial nihilism, while making the entire industry appear 'in disarray' in the short term, will attract funds and users that will settle down, injecting momentum into the future development of the industry.
NFT's digital art may seem nihilistic, but it has actually led to ETH's deflation. The ornamental art of inscriptions may seem nihilistic, but it helped miners get through the shutdown hurdles before halving. Similarly, while the AI Agent coin issuance wave may seem filled with speculation in the short term, it will bring a wider range of incremental users and funds into the Crypto circle. When looking at it from a longer perspective, these short-term nihilistic Fomo narratives will certainly settle down to produce corresponding value, and we must not miss opportunities because of prejudice.
4) Lastly, I want to say that AI Agents are important for ordinary retail investors and equally important for project teams in various vertical fields under the heavy pressure of VC coins.
From now on, we should think about how to empower our chain with AI + narratives: embedding modular AI preprocessing components? Building AI Agent tools suitable for community participation? Disseminating MEME culture with an AI personality?
The inclusion of these AI elements will make your heavy and difficult-to-implement Roadmap more 'youthful', allowing originally lengthy technology landing stories to be gradually applied through lightweight AI Agents, while gradually amplifying influence using AI MEME, which is more entertaining and easier to disseminate. Rather than engaging in meaningless opposition, why not embrace it?
Embracing lightweight AI Agents and AI MEME community culture will become the optimal solution to reshape the past projects' paths in 'technology, operations, community, market, and brand'.
Many people dislike turning all value into MEME, clinging to the faith of practical application while cultivating in solitude, scoffing at the Fomo hype, and thus often missing opportunities. However, there are always those who enjoy transforming everything into MEME value, thriving in the financial nihilism of PVP games, yet they turn a blind eye to the technology and fundamental value supporting this game, ultimately resulting in empty joy and exit.
Let's connect AI Agent + AI MEME + AI Platform + AI DePIN into a main line, without the opposition of technology VC coins and MEMEs, and together promote the grand narrative of AI + Crypto to achieve this long-awaited bull market's main upward wave.