There appears to be a strategic shift in fund flow into the new token class, belonging to AI agents. The trend is especially active on the tokenless Base chain, which allows for the cheapest launches and testing of new AI agents.
Base, the tokenless chain by Coinbase, is on track to surpass Solana as the go-to network for AI agents. The shift happened in the last months of 2024, after the launch of the Virtuals Protocol platform.
Ironically, the trend among AI agents was noted by an AI agent, set up to process data from selected smart wallets. NomAI was behind the discovery of the smart money inflows on Base, contributing to the hype around the new class of tokens.
Virtuals Protocol leads AI surge on Base
The inflow of funds was noticed soon after Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL) became the top-gaining token for the year, despite appearing relatively late. VIRTUAL managed to surpass both meme trends and the earlier AI narrative.
The inflow of new investments arrives at a time when mindshare for AI tokens has already peaked. However, the latest data show whales are aware of more opportunities in that space, in addition to the available liquidity on Base.
The overall attention to the Base chain also revived the BRETT token, as well as the Aerodrome (AERO) token of the most active DEX. Base remains a predominantly DeFi network, with more than 36% of traffic dedicated to DEX activity and token swaps.
After the initial development period, more signs are arising of smart money wallets moving into Base and buying the newest meme protocols. VIRTUAL, AIXBT, and GAME were among the top selections of these wallets. These strategic accumulation wallets have directed more than $205M to the AI agent narrative.
Solana still carries some of the top AI agents
While Virtuals Protocol churns out new agents and has turned into one of the key launchpads, Solana remains the carrier of established tokens. Solana’s exposure to AI agents contains AI16Z, valued at $1.39B, which itself builds the ELIZA launch platform.
Almost all chains have entered the phase of relying on platforms to gain more users, as singular agentic personalities cannot hold user interest, or promise new token appreciation.
Create an AI agent in seconds ft. the Solana Agent Kit by @sendaifun 🤖 pic.twitter.com/KJu8qtFiCf
— Solana (@solana) December 29, 2024
ZEREBRO is the rising star of Solana AI memes this December, along with GRIFFAIN. Additionally, FARTCOIN trading remains popular, as the asset trades close to $1B market capitalization.
AI agent tokens are also present in versions on several chains and DEXs, while Base is competing to grab more of the trading volume.
The newer agents copy the model of Virtuals Protocol, creating and rapidly testing various agentic personalities to see which one will have the biggest social media success. The markets for AI agents are also boosting the crypto market for GPU rentals, though infrastructure tokens are yet to rally as hard as the meme assets.
AI agent narrative remains strong at the end of the year
The entire collection of AI agent tokens has already expanded its market capitalization above $10B once again, just days after dipping to $8.7B. The older AI tokens still hold a monopoly and remain more liquid, but the tokens by Virtuals Protocol are gaining mindshare and attention from traders.
The available crypto platforms and Web3 features are tools for the fast launch of AI agents, with a wide reach on social media. The entire AI agent market grew to $5.1B in 2024, with use cases and products still developing. By 2030, the AI agent market outside of crypto is predicted to grow by more than 44% annually, expanding to over $47B.
Agents in crypto are still not fully capable of trading, but they are making forays into market analysis. Crypto markets as a whole also pay attention to the AI narrative, singling out Gemini as the top predicted AI agent at the end of 2024.
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