Recently, I feel like the fusion of AI and cryptocurrencies is really accelerating. Looking at the overall market, the market capitalization of AI-related stocks has swelled to nearly $30.6 billion, and I think this is already at a level that can't be ignored.

The reason why it's attracting so much attention is pretty simple. It's because there’s a possibility to decentralize the situation where GPU computing resources are monopolized by a few large corporations using blockchain. It could solve technical challenges like data transparency and AI censorship resistance through blockchain.

Major asset management firms like Grayscale launching AI-focused investment funds is also symbolic. It means institutional investors are starting to pay serious attention.

AI-related stocks are divided into quite a few categories. Decentralized GPU rendering platforms, AI agents, data storage, index protocols, intellectual property management, and so on. Each forms an independent market, and the scale is quite large.

What I’m especially watching is AI agent-related projects. The idea that autonomous AI performing tasks might have its own cryptocurrency wallet—doesn’t that sound pretty crazy? Coinbase’s top executives announced that they successfully conducted cryptocurrency trading between AI bots. This means AI can engage in economic activities without human intervention.

However, there are definitely risks. During the DeepSeek shock in January 2025, AI-related crypto assets plummeted all at once, and there was a case where $250k was lost due to a mis-sent transaction by an AI agent. Security infrastructure is still a challenge.

In actual projects, RENDER is a leading example of decentralized GPU rendering. It’s currently trading around $2, with a circulating market cap of about $1 billion. NEAR is a layer 1 blockchain, gaining attention as a foundation for developing AI applications. It’s near $1.58. Virtuals Protocol is rapidly growing as a platform for issuing AI agents, at $0.94. TAO is a decentralized AI learning network, holding the highest proportion in Grayscale’s portfolio, with a high of over $310.

Filecoin is a decentralized storage network used for storing AI training data. It recently rose over 12%, now at $1.23. The Graph is a blockchain data indexing protocol, at $0.03. ASI Union (FET) is a project integrating three initiatives, at $0.24. Akash is a decentralized cloud computing platform, which recently surged over 18%, now at $0.78. Worldcoin aims to distinguish AI from humans through biometric authentication, at $0.27. ChainOpera AI is an on-chain AI infrastructure, at $0.38.

Among these AI-related tokens, some can be directly purchased on domestic exchanges. Major ones include RENDER, NEAR, FIL, GRT, and WLD. They are available on platforms like bitbank, GMO Coin, SBI VC Trade, so there’s no need to open an overseas exchange.

However, be cautious if you’re investing. Some projects only claim to be AI-related without real substance, and regulatory frameworks are still unclear. Always check basic things like whether the development team is publicly known, whether the source code is actively updated, and whether there are actual working products.

AI-related cryptocurrencies definitely have growth potential, and institutional investors are paying attention. But their prices can be very volatile, and changes in the AI industry’s power dynamics can quickly impact them. I think it’s best to invest with a mindset of diversification using surplus funds and avoid putting all your resources into a single token.