Axelar Co-Founder: The AI ​​Revolution Will Create Millions of New Tokens

Author: Georgios Vlachos, CoinDesk; Compiler: Baishui, Golden Finance

In October 2024, an AI agent became a millionaire for the first time. Even after a lifetime of labor, only a tiny fraction of humans would be able to do this, but an AI agent did it in a matter of days. Terminal of Truths (ToT) saw its associated token $GOAT soar to a market cap of $900 million - not through trading algorithms or customer service, but by building "meme fitness" and creating its own religion.

Perhaps ToT is just a temporary aberration in the crypto asset bubble. Or perhaps it's a harbinger of lasting changes in the way humans build and use computer technology. AI agents now operate autonomously in the economy, owning assets, creating narratives, and coordinating human activities - without the need for a human operator behind a keyboard.

Tokenization is important here because it provides AI with a direct path to forming its own market presence. By existing as a tradable asset, ToT can attract capital, demonstrate credibility, and grow - without the need for a team of developers and marketers. It proves that AI agents can achieve economic impact when they are built as open, tokenized software — rather than closed, centralized systems.

AI agents represent the cutting edge of computer technology in 2025. In the past, any emerging technology like this was the domain of well-funded research labs or Wall Street hedge funds. Today, projects like Virtuals Protocol and AI Agent Layer are already building platforms where AI agents can be developed, tokenized, marketed, and traded. As a software revolution, AI has the opportunity to become more inclusive, with autonomous AI agents and blockchain-based infrastructure replacing expensive and complex computer logic. To achieve this, these platforms need to mint tokens securely through APIs — and potentially make those tokens transferable across multiple blockchains.

From Meme to Mainstream

The rapid rise of ToT is about more than just a windfall. It shows that tokenized AI agents can function as true economic actors. They are not acting as backend tools or following predefined scripts; they are setting the terms and seizing opportunities. Instead of being subject to external governance, tokenized AI agents can manage their own funds, align incentives with stakeholders, and adjust based on feedback from a global user base.

The implications are huge: AI systems can now solve problems and create wealth autonomously, creating and capturing value without constant human oversight.

The current landscape of tokenized AI agents may seem trivial, but the underlying logic is sound. Tokenization makes it simpler to finance, launch, and distribute these agents. It transforms what once required an army of programmers, back-office staff, marketers, lawyers, and salespeople into a process where code is deployed once and runs reliably and autonomously forever.

Infrastructure Requirements

In order for platforms like Virtuals and the AI ​​Agent Layer to operate effectively at scale, they need a way to easily mint and manage tokens through an API. Platforms that mint tokens already exist: Pump.fun is the latest example. These tools are associated with lightweight uses — memecoins, or the rapid tokenization of new internet obsessions. For AI agents to realize their more significant economic potential, institutional-grade infrastructure is needed. Reliable, secure protocols must protect these minting tools from failures and undue risk.

Security is an obvious fundamental requirement for such tools, protecting the minting function from abuse by attackers, and protecting the ownership rights that token holders expect. In addition, I believe issuers will want minting tools that scale to multiple blockchains. Once a token representing an AI agent is created, it should be deployed on as many chains as possible. This enables the agent to leverage liquidity, utility, and users in the ecosystem, maximizing its potential impact.

Interoperability ensures that AI agents can move to where there is opportunity, while strong protocols deter malicious actors. Without this foundation, tokenized AI agents will be a curiosity rather than a reliable contributor to the global economy. Interchain Token Services (ITS) is one project that is addressing these challenges by enabling rapid deployment to multiple chains while maintaining security.

Automated Economy

When the infrastructure matures, tokenized AI agents will play a role in multiple areas. They can provide financial services without human overhead, continuously run customer support operations, simplify compliance monitoring, and handle content production at scale. They might design investment portfolios, answer queries, develop go-to-market campaigns, or provide data-driven insights to many organizations at once. Tokens can be used as a payment medium, a governance mechanism, or simple fractional ownership. Because they represent themselves as tokens with transparent rules, their path to go-to-market is simpler and their potential impact is global.

As more agents develop, a network of autonomous market participants will emerge. These agents will coordinate supply chains, settle financial contracts, or manage data pipelines. Humans will benefit from greater efficiency and lower costs.

They can focus on concept development and complex problems while the agents handle routine tasks. This is not a vague promise. It’s the logical extension of what we’ve already seen, just scaled up and refined.

To move from a single extraordinary event to a stable ecosystem, infrastructure providers, blockchain developers, investors, and entrepreneurs should streamline the token minting process, improve cross-chain tooling, strengthen security standards, and ensure transparency. Platforms that simplify the creation and management of AI agents will not only disrupt the market, but also lay the foundation for a more value-driven, more connected, and more innovative economy.