The Rise of Agentic AIs in Decentralized Communities
In the ever-evolving digital economy, artificial intelligence agents (AIs) are poised to play a pivotal role in transforming Web3. As per industry executives, cryptocurrency staking and on-chain trading will emerge as early use cases for agentic AIs in 2025.
The Emergence of Agentic AIs
Agentic AIs are machines that pursue complex goals autonomously, reshaping the digital economy by building Web3 applications, launching tokens, and interacting with humans independently. These intelligent agents have already begun to make a significant impact on the decentralized community, and their influence is expected to grow exponentially in 2025.
Industry Experts Weigh In
According to J.D. Seraphine, a Web3 AI developer at Raiinmaker, ‘AI agents are expected to take on a more prominent role within decentralized communities’ in 2025. However, experts also acknowledge that agentic AIs will face several challenges, including technical difficulties, regulatory hurdles, and the risk of centralization.
Michael Casey, co-founder of the Decentralized AI Society, emphasized the importance of decentralization, stating that ‘without it, centralized, misaligned systems will drive us off a cliff, especially with AI.’ This highlights the need for agentic AIs to operate within decentralized frameworks to ensure the integrity and autonomy of Web3.
The Current State of Agentic AIs
As of December 2024, Web3 hosts approximately 10,000 AI agents, collectively earning millions of dollars each week from on-chain activities. According to a report by VanEck, this number is expected to surge to over 1 million by the end of 2025.
The Potential Universe of Agentic AIs
The asset manager Bitwise’s head of research, Matt Hougan, believes that ‘the potential universe of AI agents interacting with crypto is infinite.’ In 2024, tokens tied to agentic AI bootstrapped upward of $10 billion in market capitalization, mostly in Q4.
Early Use Cases for Agentic AIs
Cryptocurrency staking on behalf of human token holders is a viable early use case for agentic AIs. Hougan told Cointelegraph that ‘we’ll see a lot of experiments, but only a few will stick.’ AI agents participating in staking seems like a logical first step.
AI Agents and On-Chain Trading
ai16z’s agent, Eliza, autonomously manages an on-chain liquidity pool, purportedly clocking annualized returns in excess of 60%. However, on-chain AI models lag behind their centralized counterparts, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, on technical dimensions like speed and computational power.
Challenges Facing Agentic AIs
Industry experts acknowledge that creating viable decentralized AI agents depends on finding ‘decentralized solutions to ensure high-quality training data while safeguarding user privacy,’ according to Seraphine. Moreover, agentic AIs will face increasing pressure to be regulated, potentially disadvantaging decentralized AIs.
Investing in Agentic AIs
For investors, Hougan advises that ‘it’s okay not to know exactly what will happen as long as you recognize the significance and position yourself for exposure.’ By understanding the transformative potential of agentic AIs, investors can make informed decisions and capitalize on emerging opportunities in Web3.
Conclusion
As we look ahead to 2025, it is clear that artificial intelligence agents will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of Web3. From early use cases like cryptocurrency staking and on-chain trading to the emergence of agentic AIs as integral components of decentralized communities, the potential for innovation and disruption is vast.
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