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AI coins have been dealing with a brutal stretch, with performance charts dripping red across several timeframes. Even sector leaders were not spared, and traders looking for green candles instead got a crash course in disappointment. The downturn arrives even as AI continues to dominate global headlines, proving crypto markets have no intention of letting hype shield anyone.
AI-Powered Crypto Sector Stumbles
Artificial intelligence (AI) tokens — cryptocurrencies designed to blend AI capabilities with blockchain architecture to power everything from automated agents to GPU marketplaces — took a collective beating this week. Across nearly every major project, the numbers rolled in like a blaring alarm: down for the week and, even more dramatically, down for the month. With bitcoin climbing back above $91K on Sunday, most of these coins finally caught a bit of wind and a moment to breathe, but their weekly and monthly stats are still sitting firmly in the red.
For a sector riding cultural momentum and investor fascination, the latest performance recap over the long run reads more like a group therapy session than a leaderboard. At the top of the stack sits the token bittensor ($TAO), a coin associated with an AI-driven decentralized intelligence network that rewards contributors for building machine learning models.
$TAO slipped 6.8% over the past week, and 23.55% across 30 days — declines that shaved serious weight off its valuation. Despite its mission to democratize AI, the token’s market mood suggests traders were not feeling charitable. On Sunday afternoon, $TAO is trading for just over $288 per coin.
Next up is $NEAR Protocol’s $NEAR, a high-performance chain and native token built to power AI-native applications. $NEAR’s numbers were even harsher: 9.64% on the week, and 39.61% over the month. With a 92% drop from its all-time high, $NEAR’s price history isn’t feeling froggy, even as the ecosystem keeps rolling out AI tools and developer features.
Internet Computer’s token $ICP didn’t fare much better. Market data shows weekly losses of 14.86%, and a staggering 61.85% slip over 30 days. This, for a network that aims to replace cloud servers and power onchain AI applications, including full-stack decentralized apps (dapps). $NEAR is $1.68 per coin while $ICP trades for $3.39 a unit.
Render ($RENDER), the decentralized GPU-sharing network, recorded an 11.87% weekly drop and a painful 30.52% monthly decline. Even with its reputation as a practical AI tool, the market still treated it like everything else this month in AI-land: disposable. Still, $RENDER is changing hands for $1.57.
Story Protocol (IP) posted another red performance: down 21.01% this week, and 44.28% on the month. The project aims to tokenize intellectual property (IP) and embed licensing logic into smart contracts — a future that creators may fancy in the future, but one that didn’t persuade traders to hold tight. Traders are selling IP for $2.10 a unit today.
Virtuals Protocol ($VIRTUAL), the network known for autonomous onchain AI agents, slid 11.46% over seven days and 38.32% across the month. Tokenized AI beings may one day generate revenue for holders, but for now, the only revenue many saw was evaporating. At press time, a single $VIRTUAL is $0.88.
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Injective (INJ) — a finance-focused layer-one (L1) chain with AI-powered trading and prediction tools — logged weekly declines of 9.25%, and a 25.8% monthly drop. While relatively “milder” than the sector average, the token, at $5.39 per coin, still couldn’t escape gravity across the entire AI coin sector.
Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (FET) logged an 11.9% seven-day slide and 28.66% down on the month. The alliance brings together Fetch.ai, SingularityNET, and Ocean Protocol — a juggernaut of decentralized AI — yet price charts showed traders were not in a collaborative mood, and each coin trades for $0.23 a unit.
Even core infrastructure projects like The Graph and its token $GRT absorbed the downturn. $GRT fell 10.47% this week, and 30.05% this month, pushing the token 98% below its all-time high. $GRT is trading this weekend for $0.045 per coin, which is much lower than its $2.65 peak.
Fartcoin ($FARTCOIN), the AI-themed meme token, somehow posted gains of 13.73% weekly and 38.16% monthly — the lone green spots in an otherwise red-stained sector. The meme coin $FARTCOIN is $0.379 on Sunday afternoon. Meanwhile, theta (THETA) at $0.331 per coin continued the losing streak with harsh multi-timeframe slides that confirmed this wasn’t a blue-chip problem; it was an AI coin problem, period.
For now, AI tokens keep their narrative strength, and prices are a bit better today, but their numerical weakness over the long run is crystal clear. Whether this downturn becomes a temporary hiccup or a prolonged sector reset depends on buyers rediscovering their risk tolerance — and perhaps remembering why they liked AI in the first place.
FAQ ❓
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What are AI coins?
AI coins are cryptocurrencies that integrate artificial intelligence technologies into blockchain systems to enhance automation, data processing, and decentralized services. -
Why did AI tokens fall so sharply this month?
Across market leaders, nearly every major AI token experienced simultaneous declines across daily, weekly, and monthly charts, reflecting waning risk appetite. -
Did any AI coins perform well?
Only a small handful, such as Fartcoin, posted meaningful weekly or monthly gains, while nearly all major tokens finished deep in the red. -
Are AI coins still relevant despite the downturn?
Yes, because they continue powering AI-automation tools, GPU networks, autonomous agents, and data indexing infrastructure — but investors clearly hit the brakes for now.