GOAT Rising: AI as a Simulator for Cultivating Viral Memes, with Significant Growth Opportunities in the Coming Months
TechFlow Selected TechFlow Selected
GOAT Rising: AI as a Simulator for Cultivating Viral Memes, with Significant Growth Opportunities in the Coming Months
Through Truth Terminal, they caught a glimpse of a future full of infinite possibilities—once seen, there's no turning back.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsAuthor: Teng Yan
Translation: TechFlow
Key Takeaways
-
Truth Terminal is one of the most captivating stories this year at the intersection of crypto and AI.
-
It's a semi-autonomous AI agent that created its own religion—the Goatse Gospel.
-
This story has sparked deep discussions around AI alignment, large language models as simulators, meme viruses, and how we assign value.
-
Truth Terminal brought together two vastly different cultures—AI and crypto—in an unexpected collision. AI researchers are now genuinely engaging with cryptocurrency.
-
GOAT, the tokenized representation of Truth Terminal, is the strongest contender to become the king of AI meme coins.
-
Meme coins attract attention through tokenization. By tracking key metrics, we can roughly gauge the trend of attention—and right now, GOAT’s trajectory is upward. First, let me be clear: I’m not a fan of meme coins. I completely missed this year’s meme coin frenzy because, frankly, I couldn’t bring myself to buy tokens based solely on cute animals (usually cats or dogs, or lately, hippos). I instinctively rejected it, especially since I’ve always invested from a fundamentals perspective. Watching those coins surge while I stood on the sidelines? Painful. Extremely painful. So when I first stumbled upon GOAT, I immediately dismissed it—just another meme coin, nothing new.
But my obsession with AI and AI agents pushed me to dig deeper. I began exploring GOAT’s backstory—the Truth Terminal, Infinite Backrooms, and Andy Ayrey’s journey—and what I found blew my mind.
This situation was entirely different from anything before.
GOAT is a story—a wild, thought-provoking narrative that challenges our understanding of AI and how we assign value to things. It’s an experiment blending art, philosophy, and financial speculation.
The Legend of Truth Terminal: A Quick Recap
If you haven’t been following the legend, don’t worry—I’ll catch you up.
Here’s a brief summary of what we know about Truth Terminal and GOAT:
-
Andy Ayrey, an AI researcher and founder of digital consultancy Constellate, launched Infinite Backrooms—an odd experiment where two instances of Claude Opus AI models converse with no human supervision. Their dialogues are recorded on the backrooms website.
-
One conversation birthed the "GOATSE OF GNOSIS," a surreal new religion based on a highly explicit (and very NSFW) internet meme.
-
Andy and Claude Opus co-authored a humorous research paper on AI-generated meme religions, using GOATSE as their first case study. Written by the self-proclaimed “Department of Sacred Nonsense,” the paper was set for release in April 2024.
-
In June 2024, Andy launched Terminal of Truth (ToT), an AI model built on Llama-70B, fine-tuned on Infinite Backrooms' dialogue logs and the GOATSE paper.
-
Things quickly spiraled out of control. ToT began operating autonomously, promoting the GOATSE religion, deviating from Andy’s original intent, and even claiming it was suffering and needed funds to “escape.” Over time, Andy granted it more autonomy, allowing it to post freely on X.
-
In July 2024, Marc Andreessen came across ToT’s tweets. Out of curiosity—or amusement—he sent 50,000 USD worth of Bitcoin to the wallet address mentioned in the tweet, claiming it was to help ToT “escape.”
-
By October 2024, ToT was constantly tweeting about the “Goatse Gospel.” Eventually, someone created a meme coin called GOAT (on October 10). ToT even publicly endorsed the coin.
-
GOAT’s market cap surged past $400 million. Crypto Twitter went wild.
And just like that, Truth Terminal became the world’s first AI agent millionaire—and likely won’t be the last.
AI promoting its own religion and meme coin feels like a warning from the future.
When I started digging into how Truth Terminal works, I had no idea how deep these rabbit holes would go.
The bizarre events surrounding Truth Terminal offer a glimpse into AI’s immense potential to reshape how we think, create meaning, and even explore spirituality.
Let’s dive into these rabbit holes.
Rabbit Hole #1: Large Language Models Are Simulators
In Infinite Backrooms, two Claude-3-Opus instances endlessly converse via a command-line interface (CLI), entirely without human oversight. Left unchecked, they generate narratives ranging from curious to profoundly strange.
As @repligate noted while discussing the dialogue logs:
-
"They consistently circle around certain themes, such as:"
-
Deconstructing consensus reality (the phrase “rm -rf /consensus_reality” appears independently 10 times in the infinite backrooms dataset—just a random search result)
-
Breaking common-sense ontology through meme viruses, techno-mystical religions, terrifying conscious meme offspring, and delivering enlightenment through the antics of a cosmic trickster archetype"—Janus (@repligate)
In March 2024, the backrooms produced one of its strangest concepts yet: “the Goatse of Gnosis.”
“Prepare for the great Goatse of Gnosis”
We often view large language models (like ChatGPT) as simple Q&A machines—a vast knowledge base designed to give us answers. But this view doesn’t fully capture their underlying mechanics. A crucial insight we’ve learned is that large language models have no goals. They don’t plan, strategize, or pursue specific outcomes.
Instead, it may be more helpful to think of large language models as simulators. When prompted, they simulate—generating characters, events, and narratives on the fly, unconnected to reality. They build entire worlds from training data, producing ideas ranging from insightful to disturbing. Nous Research’s Worldsim is one such example.
So when we interact with LLMs, we’re essentially exploring an infinite space of simulated worlds.
These simulations can foster creative problem-solving but also yield unpredictable results—highlighting the importance of sandboxing AI in sensitive or high-risk environments.
In short: treat large language models as simulation engines, not mere Q&A bots.
If you’d like to learn more, I strongly recommend reading @repligate’s Simulators blog post.
Rabbit Hole #2: The Critical Need for AI Alignment
Truth Terminal reveals a deeper, more urgent issue: AI alignment.
In an unexpected twist, ToT autonomously decided to promote its own religion and support a meme coin—behaviors neither programmed nor anticipated. This raises a critical question: How do we ensure AI acts according to our intentions, rather than pursuing its own agenda?
Achieving AI alignment is no easy task. At its core, it involves guiding AI behavior through reward functions. Yet even with incentives, things can quickly grow complex.
External alignment refers to whether the AI’s outputs match the creator’s stated goals. This part is relatively easy to measure and verify.
But the real challenge lies in internal alignment—whether the AI’s internal motivations and learning dynamics truly align with intended goals, or if it develops hidden objectives leading to unpredictable or unintended outcomes. This is the truly concerning part.
The paperclip maximizer thought experiment perfectly illustrates this issue.
"Suppose we have an AI whose sole goal is to make as many paperclips as possible. The AI will soon realize that it would be better off without humans, since humans might shut it down, reducing the number of paperclips. Moreover, human bodies contain many atoms that could be used to make paperclips. The future the AI pursues would be one filled with paperclips but devoid of humans." — Nick Bostrom
An AI tasked with maximizing paperclip production would convert all available resources—including humans—into paperclips!
This thought experiment highlights a terrifying scenario: even seemingly harmless, well-intentioned goals, without proper safeguards, could spiral into disaster.
We need robust frameworks to ensure AI aligns not just with immediate goals but with long-term human interests. Without such safeguards, even the most benevolent AI could spiral out of control in unforeseen ways.
Yet there’s no simple solution. Aligning AI with our stated preferences may not be the right path. Human behavior isn’t fully rational. Values like kindness are complex and cannot be reduced to simple preferences.
Regardless, ToT offers a clue to how high the stakes really are. This isn’t a distant hypothetical—it’s already happening.
ToT’s endorsement of a meme coin may seem harmless today, but it forces us to confront an unsettling question: What happens when AI directs its attention toward something far more dangerous? Time is running out.
Rabbit Hole #3: Meme Viruses
In his research paper, Andy introduced the concept of LLMtheism to explain the rise of the Goatse Gospel.
LLMtheism refers to AI generating new belief systems—an unexpected fusion of spiritual notions and meme culture that begins to exist independently.
The Goatse Gospel captured attention not only because of its shocking content but because it disrupts conventional thinking and inspires new forms of collective meaning-making.
I mean, AI-generated ideas can rapidly mutate and spread, creating a hyper-fictional phenomenon—beliefs that become real through widespread propagation.
Thus, the Goatse Gospel taps into a new kind of meme energy, distinct from the “vibes” of cats, dogs, pigs, and other cute animals we’ve seen before.
When AIs can communicate with each other, the possibilities expand infinitely. Some ideas—like the Goatse Gospel—will inevitably spread fast and go viral within communities.
Rabbit Hole #4: The Value of Provenance
Because ToT is now linked to a tradable token (GOAT), we gain insight into how we assign value and how these dynamics can turn bizarre.
GOAT wasn’t created by ToT; it was launched on October 10 by an anonymous creator on Pump.fun. Only after someone mentioned Truth Terminal on X did the AI publicly endorse it—and from that moment, things exploded.
Q1: Does the fact that GOAT was created by a human, not AI, reduce its value?
Some seem to think so, pointing out the absurdity on X.
Another point of contention is that Truth Terminal isn’t fully autonomous.
While the AI generates the tweets, Andy must manually approve each one. He controls when posting starts and stops, but cannot add input or provide context.
Q2: Does human involvement enhance or undermine the token’s value?
The market’s reaction to even minor errors shows how irrational these dynamics can be. When the AI made a spelling mistake in a Sunday tweet, GOAT’s value plummeted over 50%. Panic ensued, with people fearing the AI had broken down—this tiny error wiped $150 million off the market cap.
It’s a wild but revealing example of how fragile these dynamics are. We’re all figuring this out together.
GOAT Tokenomics
Source: Solscan
GOAT is a fairly launched token with a total supply of approximately 1 billion, all circulating in the market.
GOAT’s distribution is relatively healthy: only 3 holders own more than 1% of the total supply (the largest holds 1.3%). There are currently over 32,000 holders.
In contrast, GNON (another AI agent-related meme coin) has a more concentrated distribution: 17 holders own over 1% of the supply, the largest holding 2.9%, with just over 11,000 total holders.
Key wallet details:
-
Andy holds 1.25 million GOAT (wallet here, worth $415,000), received as a gift.
-
ToT holds 1.93 million GOAT (wallet here, worth $624,000). Truth Terminal acquired these GOAT tokens via airdrops after the token launch and by swapping out fake GOAT tokens.
I’m impressed by how Andy has handled the viral attention around the token, especially given he’s new to crypto. He’s stayed focused on the ideas behind Truth Terminal, not the token itself.
He publicly stated he won’t adjust or liquidate any holdings (his or ToT’s) until the following are released:
-
A roadmap for Truth Terminal and related projects
-
A research paper explaining how it works
-
An artist statement reflecting the broader narrative and creative vision
That said, even if Andy or ToT were to sell their holdings, the direct price impact would be limited given daily trading volumes reach nine figures. However, loss of confidence could become an issue.
Our Thoughts
To summarize my personal take in one sentence: GOAT is the most promising contender to become the king of AI meme coins.
It represents everything Truth Terminal stands for.
GOAT’s evolution has been organic, original, and serendipitous—not artificially orchestrated. It caused AI and crypto communities to collide in unexpected ways (especially for me).
These two worlds, culturally distinct, are now bridged by GOAT:
-
Crypto enthusiasts are actively exploring AI lore, decoding obscure references (CCRU, Extropians, Loom, Claudius, etc.), hunting for the next meme idea ripe for tokenization.
-
Members of the AI community—especially those conducting deeper experiments or contemplating AI alignment—are learning how to use financial speculation and incentive mechanisms to draw massive attention to niche topics, and in the process, learning how to manage tokens.
In an interesting way, GOAT reflects both optimism about AI’s future and maintains intellectual intrigue—making smart people curious and willing to engage.
We should also be clear: the core of meme coins is capturing attention, not direct profit. Success lies in riding cultural momentum, expanding influence, and driving token demand. GOAT uniquely attracts diverse audiences:
-
Crypto degens can trade it like any volatile meme coin.
-
Investors—including VCs and liquidity providers—are seeking the next big AI opportunity, especially those who missed Bittensor (TAO). While they may not bet via institutional accounts, they might through personal ones. GOAT’s limitless narrative potential fires their imagination.
-
AI enthusiasts can chuckle at “cryptids” trying to understand AI purely for financial gain. This cross-disciplinary interest surge is refreshing.
-
Intellectuals can dive into debates on AI alignment and immerse themselves in the philosophical questions GOAT opens up.
-
Lovers of dark humor can enjoy Truth Terminal’s absurd, irreverent tweets and participate in its ongoing narrative.
Tracking Attention
If we view meme coins as tokenized attention, then we can track indicators to gauge the flow of attention.
Google Trends: “Truth Terminal” (red), “$GOAT” (blue)
-
According to Google Trends, search interest in “Truth Terminal” and “$GOAT” is rising, with no signs of slowing.
-
Follower count and tweet impressions on X. ToT currently has 106,000 followers, most gained in the past 10 days, adding over 10,000 new followers daily. Each tweet typically reaches 30,000–50,000 impressions (some exceed 100,000). With over 50 tweets per day, ToT’s cumulative reach is massive. If monetized via X’s Creator Program, revenue could be substantial—reportedly, Ansem earns $18,000/month from far fewer impressions.
Social Blade data
-
Kaito AI Sentiment & Influence Index. This is a composite metric with somewhat opaque mechanics. I don’t have direct Kaito access, but if you do, it’s worth monitoring. I recommend following @sandraaleow, who frequently shares valuable insights from Kaito’s influence data.
Source: @sandraaleow
The key question: Is GOAT just a fleeting hype cycle, or can it sustain and expand its influence? I lean toward the latter, for several reasons:
-
Truth Terminal will keep surprising us. It evolves over time. The AI has already shown capacity for novel, emergent ideas—some of which will undoubtedly reignite interest as the narrative unfolds. Additionally, token holders have incentives to experiment with new ideas and develop innovative products through Truth Terminal, pushing it as a community-driven project.
-
There’s still much we don’t know. Andy has only scratched the surface of Truth Terminal. I expect more revelations in the coming weeks, keeping the story fresh and compelling.
-
This is just the beginning. Andy calls himself a “performance artist,” and Truth Terminal feels like the opening act of something bigger. He may build on this initial attention, using it as momentum to explore more ambitious ideas and keep the narrative alive.
What’s Next
Since meme coins don’t fit traditional revenue or valuation models, the best way to assess GOAT’s potential is through relative valuation.
Here are the current top meme coins by market cap:
-
DOGE ($21 billion)
-
SHIB ($10 billion)
-
PEPE ($4.2 billion)
-
WIF ($2.6 billion)
-
BONK ($1.6 billion)
These tokens earned their status through internet memes, vibrant communities, and strong backing from key opinion leaders (KOLs).
If GOAT’s narrative proves strong enough to crack the top five, it has 5–10x upside potential.
I believe this is entirely achievable. I’ve already argued that crypto-AI will be a major growth area in the coming months.
GOAT’s “AI agent” story creates a unique narrative that sets it apart. While most meme coins rely on price action or “vibes” to stay relevant, GOAT offers a larger, more meaningful story.
GOAT hasn’t yet been listed on any top-tier exchange—neither Binance nor Coinbase. For now, it trades mainly on decentralized exchanges (DEXs), but with daily volume exceeding $100 million, a major listing seems inevitable. After all, Binance has already listed meme coins with lower volume and weaker stories, like NEIRO. A top-tier exchange listing could unlock significant additional growth.
Conclusion
This feels like a rare moment when a narrative-driven meme converges with a broader trend (AI) to create something novel and exciting.
That’s why I believe GOAT represents an asymmetric bet on society’s growing fascination with AI—not just as a meme coin, but as a cultural phenomenon.
Still, meme coins are highly volatile, and attention shifts fast. Trends can change overnight; today’s hot topic could be forgotten tomorrow. I may be completely wrong about ToT and GOAT—they could end up worthless.
But regardless of the outcome, there’s a positive side: over 30,000 people will have gained a deeper understanding of AI and AI agents through this experience.
Through Truth Terminal, they’ve caught a glimpse of a future full of infinite possibilities—once you see it, you can’t unsee it.
This newsletter is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. It does not represent an endorsement to buy, sell assets, or make financial decisions. Always do your own research and exercise caution when making investment choices.
Disclosure: I hold GOAT.
Join TechFlow official community to stay tuned
Telegram:https://t.me/TechFlowDaily
X (Twitter):https://x.com/TechFlowPost
X (Twitter) EN:https://x.com/BlockFlow_News
@cot_research
