Opinion by: Alex O’Donnell, Senior Writer at Cointelegraph
Artificial intelligence (AI) memecoins are evolving into utility tokens. Soon, they will power an agentic AI revolution that will reshape Web3. Spotting winners will be challenging but rewarding. Start searching now.
What is Agentic AI?
Agentic AIs — machines pursuing complex goals autonomously — are already among us. They write code, run social media accounts, launch tokens, and even worship internet memes (in at least one instance). In 2025, AI agents will reshape Web3.
The Evolution of Memecoins
Since October 2024, AI-themed memecoins have collectively bootstrapped more than $3 billion in market capitalization. Hundreds are now trading. However, only a handful will evolve into utility tokens. Those that do will inherit a multibillion-dollar untapped market.
The Birth of the Agentic Web
Permissionless blockchain networks are uniquely hospitable for AI agents. Bank accounts and physical addresses aren’t always necessary. Neither is legal personhood. Meanwhile, AI agents excel where it counts. They can deploy smart contracts, manage onchain treasuries, build communities, and even negotiate deals — with humans or each other.
Coinbase Ventures’ Prediction
In October, Coinbase Ventures predicted the rise of an ‘Agentic Web,’ where AI agents on crypto rails fuel economic growth and run decentralized apps (DApps). By 2030, agentic AIs could become a $47-billion market, adding some $4 trillion to the world’s economy annually, according to MarketsandMarkets and the World Bank.
Tokens as Coordinating Mechanism
Tokens will be agentic AI’s coordinating mechanism. Users can purchase a dedicated token to ‘gain a stake in the agent and participate in decisions regarding its behavior, development, and upgrades,’ Binance Research said. The AI agent can then use onchain earnings to buy back tokens, increasing scarcity and value.
From Memecoins to Utility Tokens
The Agentic Web isn’t here yet, but memecoins like ZEREBRO are paving the way. Zerebro is an AI chatbot ‘designed to autonomously create and distribute content across platforms such as Twitter, Warpcast, and Telegram,’ according to its white paper.
Zerebro: A Prolific Shitposter
Since launching in October, Zerebro — a prolific shitposter — has amassed nearly 45,000 X followers. Unlike Truth Terminal, Zerebro minted the eponymous ZEREBRO token itself, purportedly ‘specifying token parameters such as name, symbol, total supply, and distribution mechanisms,’ its white paper said.
Zerebro’s Ambitions
In November, Zerebro launched a record label, rumored to be on sale for $17 million, and is considering a non-fungible token (NFT) collection. Its creators plan to launch decentralized finance protocols — including vaults and yield farming — to ‘create new financial utilities’ for ZEREBRO.
Other AI Memecoins
Luna by Virtuals hosts other popular AI memecoins, including aixbt (AIXBT) and VaderAI (VADER). Ai16z aims to build an onchain venture fund led by an AI agent named Eliza. Rumored interest from a16z, the token’s namesake and the world’s largest venture firm, caused ai16z to surge in mid-November.
Conclusion
Agentic AI tokens are still evolving. They will mostly fail, but some will develop meaningful utility, and dozens more will launch in 2025. Ignore the hype — these tokens are more than memecoins, and they are here to stay.
About the Author
Alex O’Donnell is a senior writer for Cointelegraph. He previously founded DeFi developer Umami Labs and worked for seven years as a financial journalist at Reuters, where he covered M&A and IPOs. He is also the crypto growth lead at startup accelerator, Expert Dojo.
Disclaimer
This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.
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