Which AI tokens are suitable for buying the dip during a downtrend?
TechFlow Selected TechFlow Selected
Which AI tokens are suitable for buying the dip during a downtrend?
We are at the end of the second wave, where most AI projects have collapsed by 80%-90% from their initial peaks—this is the optimal buying opportunity before entering the third wave of artificial intelligence.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsAuthor: Shawred (₿, τ)
Translation: TechFlow
Currently, AI tokens are presenting exceptional buying opportunities in the market. I believe these tokens will perform strongly in the upcoming utility-driven bull run and emerge as market leaders.
To help you better understand and select suitable investment targets, we categorize AI tokens into three types:
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Safe Play: Expected returns of 10x to 20x.
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Decent Play: Expected returns of 20x to 50x.
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Degen Play: Expected returns of 50x to 100x.
This is an unbiased retrospective on AI × Cryptocurrency.
Since the beginning of this bull market, artificial intelligence has been one of the hottest and most profitable niches, alongside meme coins.
The launch of OpenAI and Sam Altman’s ousting triggered two major waves of artificial intelligence, leading to a surge in AI and crypto launches—and also numerous scams.
In both the first and second waves of AI, many projects delivered exponential returns for early investors while leaving latecomers at significant losses.
Each wave was driven by different sub-catalysts, narratives, and patterns that propelled the AI trend forward.
During the first phase, the niche was widely dismissed as short-term hype. Most people forgot about it until they encountered projects like $TAO, $RNDR, and $AKT—projects that were actually creating value with real use cases capable of advancing Crypto × AI. During this phase, GPU and compute-related projects such as $RNDR and $AKT, along with first-layer AI chains like $FET and $ORAI, saw massive speculation.
Some of these projects were listed on Binance perpetuals, further fueling the AI frenzy and causing large-scale liquidations that helped sustain the hype. When the first AI wave ended and most projects crashed 85%-90%, certain CT cult groups claimed they had predicted AI was just a fleeting illusion and boasted about being right. Most people dumped their AI holdings, but a few held firm in belief.
The second wave of AI began with Sam Altman’s removal, drawing genuine attention from mainstream individuals and venture capitalists. This phase saw the emergence of many new AI projects, including tax-based tokens, which led to numerous scams.
During this period, projects like $PAAL, $ENQAI, $AGC, and $NMT launched, delivering exponential returns to those who paid attention and conducted research. A key advantage of this phase was that it wasn’t dominated by VCs but rather driven by retail participants on-chain.
I believe we are now at the tail end of the second wave, where most AI projects have already crashed 80%-90% from their peaks. This is the optimal entry point before the third wave of AI. I classify them into three categories based on fund backing, team strength, and risk-reward ratio:
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Safe Plays
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Decent Plays
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Degen Plays
Safe Play Strategy
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@zero1_labs $DEAI is a decentralized AI ecosystem focused on empowering developers in the AI space by providing tools and support.
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Publicly identified team
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Continuously building new partnerships
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82-90% of circulating supply to be removed from circulation over the next 12-18 months
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Market cap: $25 million
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Price: $0.25
(See video)
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The $DEAI team continues to grow and build new partnerships. They recently made significant changes to the token vesting schedule, preventing new token supply from hitting the market before 2025–2026. I believe $DEAI could break past $2 during the next AI wave.
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@fluence_project $FLT – The first decentralized serverless computing project since 2017, backed by @multicoincap and other prominent VCs, with no major unlocks before February 2025.
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Market cap: $20 million
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Price: $0.35
(See video)
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$FLT is currently one of the most undervalued AI + DePIN projects. It has strong potential to perform similarly to $AKT and $RNDR. Despite minimal marketing efforts, the team has managed to build a solid community and remains highly active in product development.
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@NetmindAi $NMT is a decentralized AI ecosystem offering multiple products such as computing services, model training, chat services, combining AI + DePIN + GPU.
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Winner of the UK Business Technology Award
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Team with hands-on experience
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A real AI company not solely focused on crypto
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Market cap: $200 million
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Price: $5.6
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I believe $NMT will rank among the top 5 AI projects by the end of this bull market. It allows users to rent computing power at affordable costs to train and run machine learning models, making AI accessible to the masses.
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@opentensor $TAO is a decentralized AI network that fosters a market-driven ecosystem for machine intelligence, where peers evaluate and incentivize valuable work.
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Top 2 Crypto × AI projects
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Publicly identified, experienced team
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Listed on top-tier exchanges
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Strong community
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Market cap: $1.9 billion | Price: $275
(See video)
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$TAO is the leader in the Crypto × AI narrative, and frankly, the safest bet in AI. Its recent listing on Binance and other top exchanges can inject more liquidity and drive its price higher during the next AI wave. I believe $RNDR and $TAO will remain the top two leading AI projects.
Decent Play Strategy
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@Spectral_Labs develops AI and blockchain tools like Syntax, allowing users to easily create on-chain agents by converting natural language into code.
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Publicly identified team
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Backed by well-known venture capital firms
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Listed on top exchanges and base chains
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Market cap: $65 million
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Price: $6.2
(See video)
Spectral Labs provides infrastructure tools for creating autonomous agents on-chain. Most $SPEC tokens are locked until November, eliminating internal sell pressure. This is a solid AI bet on the base layer that will perform well during the AI season.
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@PhalaNetwork $PHA acts as an AI co-processor for blockchains, using TEE to process sensitive computations off-chain while maintaining verifiability via blockchain.
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AI agent contracts and collaborative processing
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Listed on Binance
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Publicly identified team
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Market cap: $88 million
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Price: $0.12
(See video)
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@SturdyFinance $STRDY is the first Defi subnet on $TAO supported by @SoftBank, @PanteraCapital, and @ycombinator.
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Defi lending platform
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TVL over $30 million
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Market cap: $5 million
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Price: $0.83
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I believe it will shine during the AI season and is currently the best $TAO playtest.
Degen Play Strategy: 50x–100x Returns
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@shog_AGI is attempting to build a distributed and open-source AGI. It offers a set of tools and datasets for building and training models, along with incentive mechanisms for users.
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Market cap: $8 million
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Price: $0.04
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I believe it will gain serious traction when the AI season returns. Right now, few people are talking about it. @balajis has been promoting this project since last year, even before it had a token, and recently indirectly mentioned it again on Twitter. I believe we’re still early, and $SHOG has a long runway ahead.
Artificial intelligence is the next major technological revolution, and I believe Crypto × AI will play a crucial role in it. Although crypto operates in cycles, with people buying, selling, and profiting throughout each cycle,
most projects suffer during bear markets due to lack of funding and interest. After this bull run, the majority will gradually fade away—only a select few will survive. So don't go all-in, and don't adopt a forever-hold mindset.
Cash out as the trend rises.
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@Shawred0
