Original title: 4 Factors of AI Agent Success + Why I Put My Trust in AI Agents in 2025 Original author: 0xAndrewMoh, Crypto Kol Original compilation: zhouzhou, BlockBeats

Editor’s note: This article explores how AI agents are reshaping the fusion of blockchain and artificial intelligence, particularly the growth potential in 2025. Successful AI agent projects rely on strong teams, innovative products, unique growth catalysts, and active communities. Solana is regarded as the blockchain platform leading this trend, laying the foundation for the future of AI agents with its high performance and developer tool support.

The following is the original content (reorganized for readability):

Since OpenAI released ChatGPT, artificial intelligence has evolved from a niche interest into a global trend, reshaping various industries and daily life. With the fusion of blockchain technology and artificial intelligence, AI agents are poised to redefine the crypto ecosystem and unlock transformative practical applications.

The practical appeal of AI agents

The core of AI agent's widespread adoption lies in their practical value. Investors and users often ask, 'What’s in it for me?' The answer lies in the specific problems these agents solve. Examples include:

· Identifying investment opportunities through data-driven analysis.

· Optimizing DeFi yields by directing idle assets to the most profitable channels.

· Efficient management of blockchain validation nodes.

· Providing real-time market updates.

· Providing personalized investment strategies.

AI agents rely on simplicity; users do not need to understand the underlying technology, only the results. Like the Internet, what matters to people is the application, not its mechanics. The direct benefits of AI agents ensure their rapid adoption and widespread appeal. As artificial intelligence becomes a global trend, the fusion of crypto and AI will see explosive growth by 2025.

AI agents: More than just memes

People often ask: Are AI agent tokens just another meme craze? The answer is no. AI agents represent a shift from reactive to proactive AI systems that can automate complex tasks and adapt to user needs.

cryptopunk7213 aptly describes AI agent tokens as cloaked platform coins that leverage meme culture to attract attention while providing real utility. This utility-based design distinguishes them from traditional memes, whose value often relies solely on community-driven hype.

However, the rise of AI agents has also raised deeper questions about their autonomy.

Although these systems possess advanced capabilities, they still operate within frameworks designed by humans, raising concerns about objectivity and manipulation. However, their practical applications and innovations firmly establish them as the cornerstone of the next technological wave.

Four Pillars of AI Agent Success

1. Team

The core of any AI agent project is its development team, whose contributions account for 70% of the project's success. A team with AI expertise and a track record of success is indispensable.

Key Criteria for Success:

· Strong academic or professional background in AI.

· Experience with measurable outcomes in crypto or AI projects.

· Active online presence and community engagement.

Example: Anand Iyer of sekoia virtuals

· Educational background: Computer Engineering at Purdue University.

· Experience: Held leadership positions at Cisco and Microsoft, founded successful startups, and was an early investor in several prominent AI projects (such as Virtuals Protocol and Gensyn). The team led by Iyer at Sekoia demonstrates the combination of expertise and vision needed to successfully guide AI agent projects.

2. Product

The product is the core of any AI agent project. Success depends on providing innovative, practical solutions that address real-world needs.

Key Questions:

· How do AI agents operate, and which industry do they target?

· Does the product solve real problems or is it just overpromising?

· How does the product differ from competitors?

Key Indicators:

· Total user count and active user count.

· User growth rate.

· Total locked value (TVL).

· Third-party integrations and partnerships.

3. Growth Catalysts

AI agent projects rely on unique growth drivers:

· virtuals io: Combines pioneering economic models with supply-demand dynamics to drive the growth of VIRTUAL tokens.

· ai16zdao: Leverages its association with a16z to create a strong sense of community engagement.

· sekoia virtuals: Distinguishes itself from other competitors with innovative products and limited results, generating market anticipation.

The Virtuals Protocol ecosystem aligns its growth with token demand, echoing the success of Curve Finance's veToken model

By closely integrating economic incentives, Virtual creates a sustainable growth engine.

4. Community

A vibrant, actively engaged community is crucial to the success of AI agents. As end-user products, AI agents rely on early users to generate momentum.

Key Questions:

· Are community members active on platforms like Discord and Telegram?

· Do they provide feedback, share experiences, and support project development?

The community not only kickstarts the adoption process but also acts as an economic flywheel, ensuring sustained growth and long-term success.

Efficient economic models in AI agents

AI agent projects excel at creating sustainable economic models by tackling challenges such as FDV (Fully Diluted Valuation) and token economics. By rapidly generating revenue as end-user products, they lay a solid foundation for long-term growth.

Examples like Vader AI and virtuals io showcase these principles:

· Vader AI: Dual DAO system: Passive DAO (0.5% fee) and Active DAO (20% performance fee).

· Staking: Locking 51% of the VADER supply to reduce circulation and enhance value.

· Vaults: AI-managed profit optimization, with fees destroyed to maintain token scarcity.

· DAO requirements: Managers must stake VADER and hold assets to drive continuous token demand.

Virtuals Protocol: Governance and revenue distribution

Token holders vote on strategies for AI agents, while revenues from the agents (advertising, interactions, content, etc.) are used to buy back and burn tokens, thereby increasing their value.

Developer and trading requirements: Developers and users must hold VIRTUAL tokens to enhance their utility and demand.

Liquidity lockup: 10 years of liquidity lockup effectively removes tokens from circulation.

These models demonstrate how AI agents combine blockchain with artificial intelligence to create closed-loop economic systems, enhancing sustainability, transparency, and long-term value.

The ecosystem is embracing AI agents

Base is the first ecosystem to professionally promote the AI agent trend, opening this development through the launch of the Virtual Protocol. This has sparked the emergence of numerous AI agent projects with different purposes, signaling a potential breakthrough trend in the crypto market.

As with any major trend, other ecosystems quickly adapt or actively position themselves to capture this momentum. Notable examples include:

· modenetwork: Shifting focus to AI agents, becoming the first Layer 2 network dedicated to this niche. Mode also hosts hackathons to attract AI agent developers.

· Solana: Launched the Solana Agent Kit to help developers easily build AI agent applications. Its Solana AI Hackathon attracted nearly 500 projects.

· opentensor: Witnessed rapid growth in the number and quality of subnets focused on AI agents.

Among these ecosystems, Solana stands out as a trendsetter. Previously, Solana led waves in DeFi, GameFi, NFTs, and even memes, with platforms like Pump.fun as representatives.

Now, with tools like the Solana Agent Kit and Solana AI Hackathon, Solana is strategically preparing to lead the next wave of AI agent trends.

Why Solana is leading the trend

Solana has established itself as the preferred blockchain for AI agents with its unparalleled performance and dynamic ecosystem.

· Speed and cost: Solana boasts 65,000 transactions per second (TPS) and transaction fees of $0.00025, ensuring real-time and cost-effective operations.

· Ecosystem: The success of tools like the Solana Agent Kit and the Solana AI Hackathon underscores its commitment to fostering innovation.

· Decentralized infrastructure: Solana's dePIN ecosystem surpasses Ethereum, providing a solid foundation for AI-driven applications.

· Collaboration and growth: Solana's hackathon attracted nearly 500 projects, with 65 projects utilizing the Agent Kit—demonstrating Solana's thriving developer community.

Accounts to follow for the latest updates on AI agents

Defi0xJeff: Provides insightful articles on emerging trends.

S4mmyEth: Daily AI agent reviews.

tombheads: AI agent Alpha explorer.

SmallCapScience: Early discovery of $aixbt.

CryptoStreamHub: Provides regular Alpha updates daily.

zacxbt: AI and DeSci Alpha explorer.

Personal opinion AI agents are redefining the intersection of blockchain and artificial intelligence, with 2025 viewed as a critical year for their growth. Blockchains like Solana, with unparalleled performance and a thriving ecosystem, are at the forefront of this trend. While challenges remain, the foundation laid today will drive mainstream adoption of AI agents and become a force for change across industries.

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