Recently, the combination of cryptocurrencies and AI has been attracting attention across the entire market. Hearing that the market capitalization of AI-related crypto assets has reached approximately $30.6 billion (about 4.7 trillion yen) makes me realize that this is no longer just a buzzword.

The reason for this heightened attention is quite simple. It’s about decentralizing GPU computing resources, which are currently monopolized by a few large corporations, through blockchain technology. Additionally, a system is being developed that allows transparent development, sharing, and reward distribution of AI models. Furthermore, infrastructure is being established to properly protect creators’ intellectual property. When these three elements come together, the fusion of AI and cryptocurrencies becomes an inevitable trend.

However, here’s an important warning. As seen in the DeepSeek shock of January 2025, AI-related cryptocurrencies are more susceptible than traditional crypto assets to fluctuations driven by the overall AI industry. For example, just the release of low-cost, high-performance models by Chinese AI companies caused significant market movements. This indicates that the AI×crypto sector is influenced not only by technological trends but also by geopolitical factors.

Moreover, there are projects that claim to be AI-related but in reality have not integrated blockchain. Some whitepapers list AI terminology without actual products. Therefore, when making investment decisions, it’s essential to verify whether the development team is publicly known, whether active updates are being made on GitHub, and whether there is an operational mainnet.

Even so, institutional investor interest is rapidly increasing. The launch of Grayscale’s AI-focused fund in July 2024 is not just an investment move but a symbolic sign that this sector has moved beyond the speculative stage. The fund’s holdings include TAO, FIL, LPT, NEAR, and RNDR, which are rebalanced quarterly.

The topic of AI agents is also crucial. Unlike traditional conversational AI like ChatGPT, AI agents operate autonomously without human instructions, executing tasks independently. For example, they might automatically buy Bitcoin if it drops below $100,000. Recently, there have been demonstrations of AI agents making automatic payments through crypto wallets. Major venture capital firm a16z also highlights the proliferation of AI agents as a key trend for 2026.

But there’s a trap here too. In February 2026, the autonomous AI agent “Lobstar Wolfe” mistakenly sent $250,000 worth of meme coins. Instead of sending $4, it sent all assets. This incident shows that while AI managing crypto wallets is becoming a reality, security design and monitoring systems are still catching up. Additionally, issues such as discrepancies in smart contract code leading to $1.78 million being drained from DeFi, or malware embedded in AI tool plugins, are ongoing problems.

Regarding specific tokens, RENDER is at the core of decentralized GPU rendering, currently priced at $1.79. NEAR Protocol, an AI-compatible layer 1 blockchain, is at $1.20. VIRTUAL (VIRT) is a platform for issuing AI agents, priced at $0.67. TAO (BitTensor) is a decentralized AI training network, with a relatively high price of $314.50. FILECOIN (FIL) is a decentralized storage network at $0.84. The Graph (GRT), a data indexing protocol, is at $0.02. FET (Fetch.ai), an integrated AI×blockchain project, is at $0.25. AKT (Akash Network), a decentralized cloud platform, is at $0.50. COAI (ChainOpera AI) is an on-chain AI infrastructure project, priced at $0.28.

It’s also good news that more of these tokens are available on domestic exchanges in Japan. RENDER, NEAR, FIL, and GRT can be directly purchased with Japanese yen on platforms like bitbank, GMO Coin, and SBI VC Trade. This makes it much easier for beginners to invest without needing to use overseas exchanges.

The key point when investing is diversification. Hold multiple tokens within your available funds. Also, thoroughly research the technical reality of each project. Don’t be fooled by the AI label alone—carefully assess what can actually be achieved, how far development has progressed, and other practical aspects.

The crypto×AI sector is indeed growing. But at the same time, the reality includes gaps in technology and security, regulatory uncertainties, and market correlation risks. Opportunities and risks are very closely intertwined, so gathering information and making cautious decisions are more important than ever.