AI Agent Tokenization Emerges as a New Trend: Who Will Be the Next Project to Tokenize?
TechFlow Selected TechFlow Selected
AI Agent Tokenization Emerges as a New Trend: Who Will Be the Next Project to Tokenize?
Tokenization trends are always capable of driving new waves of innovation and market adoption.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsAuthor: 0xJeff
Translation: TechFlow
Tokenization of [_______] has always been a concept of deep interest. While seemingly simple, whenever something new gets tokenized, it consistently captures immediate attention.
Below are some tokenization trends we've observed—their development paths and potential future directions:
Asset Tokenization
Asset tokenization was one of the earliest emerging trends in this space.
-
Bitcoin pioneered the first decentralized, secure, and transparent ledger system, laying the foundation for digital representation of assets.
-
Later, Ethereum's launch in 2015 further accelerated this trend. With smart contracts, Ethereum enabled programmable assets—real estate, art, or DeFi—all made more efficient through tokenization.
To date, $ETH’s fully diluted valuation (FDV) has reached as high as $470 billion, demonstrating the massive impact of asset tokenization.
Art Tokenization (NFTs)
The rise of NFTs expanded tokenization into the realm of art.
-
In 2017, projects like CryptoPunks and CryptoKitties brought NFTs into public awareness.
-
By 2021, NFT trading volume surged to $13 billion, becoming the dominant form for digital art and collectibles.
Prominent collections such as CryptoPunks, BAYC (Bored Ape Yacht Club), and Art Blocks saw individual pieces sell for millions of dollars at the market peak in 2021.
Yield Tokenization
Yield tokenization represents another major breakthrough in the tokenization landscape.
-
In 2021, @pendle_fi first introduced the idea of tokenizing future yield.
-
Through the Pendle platform, users can trade fixed and variable yields, bringing greater flexibility and liquidity to the DeFi market.
-
Pendle experienced rapid growth in 2023 with the rise of liquid staking tokens (LSTs), followed by the launch of point markets in early 2024.
As of now, $PENDLE’s FDV has reached $1.6 billion, clearly showcasing the market potential of yield tokenization.
AI Agent Tokenization
Today, AI agent tokenization is emerging as the next big trend.
-
@virtuals_io launched a platform allowing users to create AI agents and tokenize them. This approach not only makes AI agent development more flexible but also significantly reduces development costs.
-
The concept originated in October 2024 when Virtuals built the first marketplace focused on agent ownership, enabling users to hold and trade AI agent rights via tokens.
To date, $VIRTUAL’s FDV has reached $2.5 billion.
Identifying Trends
Across all these categories—assets, art, yield, AI agents—we can clearly see that early pioneers in each field tend to be quickly embraced by the market, often leading to significant price movements.
So, what will be the next frontier for tokenization?
Here are some trends and ideas I’m currently watching:
Data Tokenization
@withvana is actively exploring Data DAOs and Data Liquidity Pools (DLPs).
-
Users contribute data to these pools while retaining ownership, earning rewards based on data quality.
-
In essence, this model transforms data into a liquid, tradable asset.
$VANA is set to officially launch on December 16 (listing on Binance). Note that its FDV is not yet clear, but the concept of tokenized data ownership could have far-reaching implications.
Attention Tokenization
-
@_kaitoai is experimenting with bringing attention tokenization into Web3. They demonstrate the ability to generate and capture attention through their platform, mindshare dashboard, and the recently launched Yap-to-Earn feature (though due to Twitter rate limits, I haven’t been able to log in—can anyone help?).
-
Their Yapper Leaderboard encourages thought leaders to “yap” more, earn Yap points, and eventually receive $KAITO airdrops.
In short: Yap equals attention, and attention translates into $KAITO.
This is an interesting attempt at how Web3 can redefine user engagement.
Tokenization of AI Applications
This trend appears to be a natural extension of AI agent tokenization.
With the growing adoption of tools like @Replit and the rapid evolution of agent ecosystems, we're moving closer to personalized software creation.
Tokenized AI applications could allow users to participate early in development and own a share of future app revenue.
Key players in this space:
@alchemistAIapp and @myshell_ai are two leading platforms.
Both empower creators to build revenue-generating AI apps, offering practical and scalable solutions.
Myshell goes further by allowing investors to directly fund these AI apps and receive a share of future earnings—a model that supports development and aligns incentives between creators and investors.
Final Thoughts
Tokenization trends consistently spark waves of innovation and market adoption. But their appeal lies not just in the technology, but in how they bring people together and redirect attention toward new opportunities.
What will be the next big tokenization trend? I don't know for sure—but these ideas are certainly worth watching.
Disclaimer
This article is for informational and entertainment purposes only. The views expressed are not investment advice or recommendations. Investors should conduct thorough due diligence and make decisions based on their own financial situation, investment goals, and risk tolerance (factors not considered in this article). This is not an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any assets mentioned.
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
