The convergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and crypto marks a new chapter in digital innovation. For years, blockchain and AI evolved in separate lanes—one focused on decentralization, the other on intelligent computation. But now, we’re seeing a profound shift as these two disruptive forces begin to merge. This isn’t just a superficial alignment driven by buzzwords. It’s a structural transformation, where AI is becoming a foundational layer in the next generation of crypto products and services.
23% of Crypto Projects Integrate AI
There are thousands of new tokens minted every day, but our recent study revealed that 23% of crypto projects are already integrating AI into their platforms. Specifically, more than 40% of blockchain projects integrate AI tech into their products. It reflects a maturing ecosystem striving to enhance performance, personalization, and decision-making. From predictive analytics and autonomous trading (trading bots) to AI-powered assistants that simplify the user experience, the utility of artificial intelligence in Web3 is rapidly expanding.
AI is not just enhancing performance—it’s redefining purpose. In DeFi, where user experience and automation remain hurdles, 1 in 4 projects are now integrating AI to streamline tasks like yield optimization, risk assessment, and user onboarding. Meanwhile, the Tools sector leads the charge, with 59% of projects embedding AI into analytics dashboards, InfoFi tools, and smart monitoring—proving that utility, not hype, drives adoption here.
Interestingly, GameFi shows a paradox: despite underwhelming market performance, over 44% of GameFi projects still leverage AI, suggesting that builders believe AI could be the key to reviving engagement and creating immersive, dynamic environments in Web3 gaming.
AI and crypto are about more than backend improvements—they’re about reimagining how users interact with Web3 entirely.
AI is Getting Attention from Crypto Media
Media attention is further fueling this momentum. While Bitcoin and Ethereum still dominate the conversation, AI has surged past many of the previous hype cycles in terms of visibility. For example, AI is mentioned 2.36x more often than NFTs, 1.58x more than XRP, and even slightly more than Solana. Its relevance is approaching that of DeFi—suggesting that AI has become nearly as integral to the narrative of Web3 as financial decentralization itself.
…And more Researches into How AI are Beneficial to Crypto
This growing attention is mirrored in academia. The number of research papers focused on AI-blockchain integration has risen significantly—from just 35 papers in 2022 to 64 in 2024, a 42% increase in just one year. Even more telling, the first half of 2025 alone has already seen 49 publications, accounting for 76% of 2024’s total output—suggesting this year could close with the highest academic interest ever recorded in this field.
No longer merely a buzzword, AI is gradually being embraced and becoming more familiar within the realm of crypto.
The Survey Indicates a Sense of Skepticism among Investors regarding AI Tokens as an Investment
From an investment standpoint, retail curiosity is high, but conviction is still cautious. A striking 80% of investors have allocated capital to AI tokens, yet over half (55%) have invested less than $5,000, indicating a toe-dip approach rather than a deep dive. Another notable statistic: 40% of crypto investors have never actually used the products they’ve invested in. It highlights the lingering speculative culture in Web3, where decisions are driven more by token price along with the technological hype and marketing than by actual utility or experience. Interestingly, 65% of these investors are already profitable, signaling that early bets on AI narratives have paid off—at least on paper.
However, investment interest doesn’t necessarily translate to trust or adoption. In fact, our survey indicates a sense of skepticism among investors when it comes to AI tokens as a financial asset. Many investors view them as overvalued or lacking clarity on utility. This sentiment is reinforced by the troubling fact that 67% of AI-related crypto projects don’t have a usable product, revealing a gap between vision and execution. The innovation is visible—but so are the red flags. About 41% of these projects either feature AI-generated code or clearly reference AI capabilities in their whitepapers, signaling serious intent to build with cutting-edge tools.
However, the enthusiasm is often clouded by a lack of transparency: 65% of these projects have no public GitHub repository or don’t make one accessible at all. In an industry built on openness and verifiability, that’s a glaring contradiction. Plus, 42% of users report concerns about hacks and scams when engaging with crypto-AI products. Security, transparency, and trust remain the final frontier—without addressing them, AI in crypto risks following the same boom-and-bust trajectory as past hype cycles.
Conclusion
Looking forward, this integration presents both a massive opportunity and a cautionary tale. If done right, AI could usher in a smarter, more user-friendly era of Web3—one where everyday users don’t need to understand smart contracts or liquidity pools to participate meaningfully in decentralized finance. However, the risks are real: reliance on opaque models, lack of accountability, and potential centralization of AI services could undercut the very principles that crypto stands for.
Ultimately, the combination of AI and crypto is giving the blockchain industry a new set of tools—new eyes to perceive patterns, new ears to interpret data, and a new brain to optimize decisions. Whether this evolution also brings a new heart and soul to Web3 will depend on how responsibly we build from here. The projects that can deliver real value, protect users, and use AI ethically will lead this next wave—not just with innovation, but with impact.
Methodology
Using Prolific, we conducted a survey of 1200 crypto investors about their points of view and investment practices in the AI sector.
For the percentage of NFT projects integrating AI, first we crawled images of newly listed collections from OpenSea, then used the tool Sightengine’s API to determine whether it’s AI-generated or not. For other projects, we determine whether it integrates AI from its announcements about applying AI technology in their products.
To evaluate the media visibility, we used Ahrefs Content Explorer and count the number of articles that mentioned keyword “AI,” compared to other keywords like “XRP” and “BTC.”
For the academic landscape, we counted the number of papers published on ArXiv with the keyword “AI blockchain” and its publication year.
The research is conducted from June 12th to July 10th.
