Amid the frenzy of token issuance, AI Agent seizes the future trend of tokenization

Original title:Random Sunday Thoughts on What Comes After Agent Tokenization?
Author: Defi0xJeff, Crypto Kol
Compiled by: zhouzhou, BlockBeats

Editor 's note: This article discusses the trend of tokenization and its future development, covering the progress of tokenization in the fields of assets, art, income, AI agents, etc., introducing how the pioneers of various tokenizations promote industry changes, and Possible future tokenization trends were discussed, including the tokenization of data, attention, and AI applications. Tokenization is not only a technological innovation, but also the power to change people's interactions and create new opportunities.

The following is the original content (the original content has been edited for ease of reading and understanding):

The concept of tokenization has always fascinated me. It seems so simple, but every time something new is tokenized, everyone’s attention quickly turns to it.

Here’s a roundup of some of the tokenization trends we’ve seen so far, a look at how they’ve developed, and what might happen in the future:

Tokenization of assets

The initial tokenization trend.

Bitcoin created the first decentralized, secure and transparent ledger system, paving the way for the digital representation of assets. Then, the emergence of Ethereum in 2015 introduced smart contracts, making assets programmable -whether real estate, art or DeFi.

Today, the market value of Ethereum reaches $470 billion, which is the impact of tokenization on the asset.

Tokenization of Art (NFTs)

The rise of NFTs has introduced tokenization into the art world.

In 2017, projects like CryptoPunks and CryptoKitties brought NFTs into the public eye. By 2021, NFT trading volume reached $13 billion, becoming the preferred way to represent digital art and collectibles. Collectibles like CryptoPunks, BAYC, Art Blocks, and many others were worth millions of dollars at their peak in 2021.

Tokenization of earnings

Another big change is the tokenization of earnings.

Pendle fi pioneered the concept of tokenizing future earnings in 2021. It creates a market that allows fixed and variable returns to be traded, adding flexibility and liquidity to DeFi. Pendle begins to grow rapidly in 2023, especially in the LST (Liquid Staked Token) and points market in early 2024.

Today, $PENDLE has a market value of $1.6 billion.

Tokenization of AI agents

Now, we are seeing the tokenization of AI agents.

Virtuals io has launched a platform on which users can create and tokenize AI agents, effectively funding their development costs.

The concept of AI agents began in October 2024, and Virtuals created the market for agent ownership. Today, $VIRTUAL has a market value of $2.5 billion.

What’s the next big trend in tokenization?

Across these areas—assets, art, income, AI agents—we can see a clear pattern: Pioneers in each typically experience rapid adoption and significant price fluctuations.

Here are some ideas I'm following:

Tokenization of data

withvana is exploring DataDAOs and Data Liquidity Pools (DLPs).

Users can contribute data to these pools, maintain data ownership, and receive rewards based on the quality of their contributions.
Essentially, it transforms data into a liquid, tradable asset.

$VANA goes live on December 16th, and the concept of tokenizing data ownership could be huge.

Tokenization of attention

kai to ai are working on tokenizing attention in Web3, and they've demonstrated the ability to generate and facilitate more attention through the platform, the mindshare dashboard, and most recently the Yap-to-Earn feature.

Their Yap per leaderboards inspire thought leaders to speak out more, earn Yap points, and ultimately receive airdropped $KAITO tokens.

Basically, Yap = attention = $KAITO. This is a fun way to show how Web3 is redefining user engagement.

Tokenization of AI applications

This seems like a natural extension of the AI ​​agent trend.

With the rise of tools and agency ecosystems like Replit, we are getting closer to creating personalized software.
Tokenized AI applications allow users to initiate development and own a share of the revenue generated by the application.

Competitors in this space include the alchemist AI app and myshell ai, both of which empower creators to build revenue-generating AI applications with practical and scalable use cases.

Myshell goes a step further and allows investors to invest directly in these apps and receive a future share of the revenue generated by the apps. This model not only supports development but also aligns the interests of creators and investors.

final thoughts

Tokenization trends always bring new waves of innovation and adoption, but what’s exciting about them isn’t just the technology itself—it’s how they bring people together and turn the focus toward new opportunities.