In 2025, artificial intelligence is everywhere from apps that write your emails to robots answering customer service calls. But now, there’s a new twist: AI tokens. These digital assets are tied to projects that promise to combine blockchain with artificial intelligence. Some are calling it the next big investment trend. Others are calling it hype.
To get some insight, we spoke with Dmitrii Khasanov, the founder of the Arrow Stars investment fund and a well-known expert in digital marketing and startup growth. Khasanov has been tracking trends in both crypto and AI for years, and he thinks it’s time for investors to take a closer look.
What Are AI Tokens, Anyway?
Usually, AI tokens are cryptocurrencies that are associated with platforms that rely on artificial intelligence. It might include using AI to trade, sharing data securely with others, or building machine learning systems for software developers. A lot of these tokens make use of smart contract platforms such as Ethereum or Solana.
Most of these projects are trying to solve real problems using AI and blockchain together, according to Khasanov. That could be automating tasks, protecting data privacy, or even building open-source AI models.
Today, Fetch.ai, SingularityNET, and Ocean Protocol are being noticed by both retail investors and venture funds in the crypto sector. Prices of their tokens have risen a lot this year, mainly because of the increased interest in AI tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini.
Why Are Investors Paying Attention Now?
According to Khasanov, part of the reason is timing. We’re seeing a huge wave of interest in AI. Everyone wants to be part of it. At the same time, crypto markets are heating up again after a tough few years. So naturally, people are looking for crossover opportunities.
In other words, AI tokens are sitting at the intersection of two hot topics: artificial intelligence and blockchain. That’s a strong recipe for short-term excitement—but it also creates a risk of overhype.
Khasanov explained that when new technologies collide, investors often rush in before the real value is clear. We’ve seen this pattern before. It happened with DeFi, NFTs, the metaverse. The first wave is full of noise, but later on, a few real winners emerge.
Is It Just Hype? Or Is There Real Potential?
There’s no simple answer. Some AI token projects are backed by solid teams, strong tech, and working products. Others are mostly marketing and buzzwords.
Khasanov said the key is to look at how the token is used—not just how it’s priced. If a token is only going up because people think it will go up, that’s not sustainable, but if it powers an actual network or is needed to access a service, that’s a better sign.
For example, some AI tokens are used to pay for computing power on decentralized networks. Others are rewards for contributing data or models to open-source platforms. In theory, this could build real economies around AI development.
But in practice, things are still early. Many of these projects have small user bases, unclear business models, or heavy competition from bigger players.
What Should Investors Watch Out For?
Like any emerging tech space, AI tokens come with serious risks. Prices can swing wildly. Regulation is still a question mark. And it’s easy to get lost in hype.
Khasanov warned new investors not to confuse marketing with value. Just because something uses AI doesn’t mean it’s going to work. And just because a token is trending on social media doesn’t mean it’s worth your money.
Instead, he recommends asking a few simple questions:
– Does this project solve a real problem?
– Is the team experienced in both AI and blockchain?
– Is there an actual reason to use the token?
– Are users or developers actually active on the platform?
If the answer is “no” or “not yet,” it might be worth watching, but not buying.
What Does the Future Look Like?
Khasanov thinks the AI token space will go through a shakeout. Right now, there are too many tokens doing too little. Over the next couple of years, he thinks we’ll see the weaker ones disappear, and a few strong players take the lead.
He also believes big tech might enter the space. If companies like Google or Nvidia ever start issuing tokens tied to their AI ecosystems, that would completely change the game. But for now, we’re mostly seeing smaller, more experimental projects.
Still, the idea of tokenized AI networks is not going away. It makes sense, to Khasanov’s mind . AI needs data, compute, and infrastructure. Blockchain can help coordinate all of that in a decentralized way. If someone gets the model right, it could be very big.
So—Should You Invest?
That depends on your goals, your risk tolerance, and how much time you’re willing to spend understanding what you’re buying.
Khasanov’s advice is simple: be curious, but be careful. “There’s opportunity here, for sure. But don’t invest just because it feels exciting. Invest because you’ve done your homework, and you see something real.”
In other words, AI tokens could be a promising market. Or they could be another short-term bubble. Like most things in tech, the truth is somewhere in the middle.
