gm Bankless Nation, Welcome back to Metaversal's AI Roundup! This week, we learned ai16z is rebranding, Virtuals is expanding, and DeepSeek is continuing to wow.
Today's Issue ⬇️
📈 Market Pulse: A New Paradigm? DeepSeek's training spooks traders.
📸 Weekly Market Snapshot: The total market cap of crypto's AI sector dropped below $10B, a 50% slide from its position two weeks ago. The shakeout came as the new DeepSeek model, which didn't require much hardware, spooked selloffs in large AI and hardware stocks like Nvidia, in turn triggering wider sell pressure across the onchain AI scene.
Token prices as of 2pm ET
24hr
7d
VIRTUALS $2.04
↗ 0.3%
↘ 22.9%
AI16Z $0.62
↘ 4.9%
↘ 28.5%
AIXBT $0.46
↘ 6.3%
↘ 34.4%
. . .
AI ROLLUP
DeepSeek Rattles Markets
This week, the new open-source Chinese AI model DeepSeek continued to dominate headlines and online discussions as hobbyists and huge companies alike grappled with the implications of its inexpensive training.
In AI Rollup #9, David and Ejaaz dig into the selloff that DeepSeek spooked across crypto and tech and how its rise sets the stage for a new East-West arms race in artificial intelligence.
Plus, the boys walk through the latest happenings around other big recent themes in onchain AI like Jevons Paradox, Virtuals expanding to Solana, Venice's $VVV airdrop, and more.
Catch the full conversation—watch the entire episode here! 👇
Uniswap Labs is offering the largest bug bounty ever: $15.5M for critical bugs in Uniswap v4! Built with community contributions and rigorously audited, v4 will be one of the most audited codebases ever to be deployed onchain, and continues Uniswap’s commitment to security.
ai16z, the popular decentralized AI agents project that started as a playful reference to VC firm a16z, has officially rebranded to ElizaOS.
The rebrand comes after growing partnerships and a push for a more distinct, professional identity that removes potential trademark concerns related to a16z.
That said, despite the name change, the $AI16Z token will remain for now, with any future shift subject to a DAO vote.
In a community announcement, Eliza Labs founder Shaw Walters confirmed no new tokens will be created as part of the rebrand, and there are no other changes planned for the project’s governance or development roadmap.
The big idea, then? With the AI crypto sector heating up, ElizaOS now has a clearer path to engage with major industry partners who may have previously hesitated due to brand confusion.
Whether this rebrand translates into sustained momentum depends on execution—but for now, it’s a definite step toward more legitimacy in crypto's fastest-moving frontier!
Not financial or tax advice. Bankless content is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. This newsletter is not tax advice. Talk to your accountant. Do your own research.
Disclosure. From time-to-time we may add links in this newsletter to products we use. We may receive a commission if you make a purchase through one of these links. Additionally, the Bankless team holds crypto assets.