CZ urges developers to focus on building AI agents with real-world use cases, criticizing the current flood of valueless AI tokens.
Background:
- Speaking at Token2049 in Dubai, Changpeng Zhao (CZ), founder and former CEO of Binance, shared concerns over the current state of AI-token projects, stating that 99.99% of AI-related crypto tokens are useless.
- CZ argued that while AI agents are increasingly being paired with tokens, most of these products offer no genuine utility and are little more than superficial launches.
- He pointed to AI token launchpads that allow users to generate personalized tokens with a single click, calling them meaningless without functional AI utility.
Why should you pay attention?
- CZ’s comments come at a time when AI and crypto integration is one of the hottest trends in Web3, with hundreds of AI-token projects flooding the market.
- As a prominent voice in the crypto space, CZ’s critique highlights a growing demand for quality over hype, which could influence investor sentiment and project development.
- His remarks suggest a paradigm shift, where real-world applications, like blockchain-integrated AI customer service, risk monitoring, and app experiences, will define the future of the sector.
Who said what?
- CZ at Token2049:
“Today there are so many different AI agents with a token but agents don’t have a utility… 99.99% of them are useless.”
- He added:
“I want to see real agents that can really help you—with tokens.”
- CZ also mentioned:
“AI is not going to swipe a card… it’s going to be crypto.”
- On future development, CZ emphasized that blockchain should transition from just trading use cases to multi-dimensional applications, and that AI could reshape how users interact with crypto systems.
- He also noted that AI agents should be trained on new data, which could be collected and monetized via privacy-preserving blockchain infrastructure.
- On adoption, CZ shared that he is speaking with about a dozen countries on crypto regulatory strategy, while also praising pro-crypto developments in the U.S., UAE, Bhutan, and Hong Kong.
Zooming out:
- CZ’s vision highlights a critical turning point for crypto-AI innovation where flashy token launches won’t suffice, utility must come first.
- His take may signal a shift in market focus, urging developers to prioritize sustainable infrastructure over speculative trends.
- As governments around the world seek to craft local crypto policies, CZ continues to act as a global advisor, advocating for unified liquidity models over fragmented regional systems.
