• 80% of cryptocurrency investors have purchased AI tokens, however, 62% are skeptical about their long-term viability. 40% of these investors have never actually utilized the products they invested in. Interestingly, only 23% of crypto projects currently incorporate AI technology.
• 67% of AI projects in the crypto space do not have a functional product.

Our research indicates that 23% of cryptocurrency projects are integrating AI, with 40% leveraging AI technology in their products. In the realm of Decentralized Finance (DeFi), 25% of projects are utilizing AI for tasks such as yield optimization, risk evaluation, and customer onboarding. The majority of projects, accounting for 59%, are integrating AI into analytics and monitoring tools. Surprisingly, despite market challenges, 44% of GameFi projects are incorporating AI, showcasing confidence in AI’s ability to enhance user engagement.

AI is increasingly becoming a focal point in the cryptocurrency industry, being mentioned 2.36 times more than NFTs, 1.58 times more than XRP, and nearly equal in relevance to Solana. Academic interest in AI-blockchain research has also been on the rise, with a 42% increase in the number of papers from 2022 to 2024. The momentum continues to grow, with 49 papers already published in 2025, indicating a record-high level of scholarly attention.

While 80% of investors have allocated funds to AI tokens, 55% have invested less than $5,000. Despite 65% of investors being profitable, 40% have never actually used the products they invested in. Many view AI tokens as speculative investments due to the lack of tangible products, with 67% of projects lacking usability. Transparency remains a significant issue, with 65% of projects not sharing their code on platforms like GitHub, and 42% of users expressing concerns about potential hacks or scams.

AI has the potential to enhance the functionality and user experience of Web3, however, challenges such as opaque models and centralization could undermine the core principles of cryptocurrency. The success stories in this space will be those that prioritize delivering genuine value, transparency, and ethical use of AI.

• Survey: 1,200 crypto investors surveyed via Prolific.
• NFT AI use: OpenSea collections analyzed using the Sightengine API.
• Other projects: AI mentions in project announcements were examined.
• Media visibility: Mentions of “AI” vs other cryptocurrencies tracked using Ahrefs.
• Academic research: Number of papers on “AI blockchain” on Arxiv from 2022 to 2025 counted.
• Timeframe: Data collected from June 12 to July 10.