Executive Summary: The Autonomous Economy Inflection Point
AI payment tokens are cryptographic assets powering machine-to-machine (M2M) transactions in decentralized AI ecosystems. Unlike traditional cryptocurrencies, they enable: •Autonomous agent commerce: AI agents negotiate, trade, and settle transactions without human intervention •Microtransaction engines: Sub-cent payments for AI services (data, compute, API calls) •Token-incentivized AI development: Global contributors earn tokens for training models or providing resources Market trajectory: $21B today → $220B+ by 2030 (Grayscale AI Sector projection). 💎 Part 1: AI Payment Tokens – Core Mechanics & Market Leaders. A. How They Work Function|Mechanism|Example Tokens| Access Currency|Pay for AI services (APIs, data, compute)| FET, AGIX, TAO| Incentive Layer|Reward data/model contributors| OCEAN, RNDR, AKT| Governance|Vote on AI protocol upgrades| NMR, OLAS| Staking| Secure networks + earn yields| TAO (13% APY), FET| B. Dominant Projects (2025) 1.Fetch.ai (FET) a.Role: P...
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