Justin Sun says artificial intelligence could still emerge as crypto’s next major growth narrative — but only after the sector delivers a consumer product that clearly proves its value.
The Tron founder posted “All in AI” on X this week, underscoring his conviction that AI and blockchain will eventually converge in a meaningful way. However, in an interview with CoinDesk ahead of Consensus Hong Kong 2026, Sun said the current wave of AI-related tokens has yet to move beyond the conceptual stage.
While investors increasingly point to AI as crypto’s next catalyst, Sun argued the sector lacks a defining breakthrough comparable to ChatGPT — a consumer-facing application that makes the technology’s utility immediately obvious.
“Most AI tokens today are still just ideas,” Sun said in Hong Kong. “They haven’t really reached the point where users can feel the impact.”
Without such a moment, Sun said market enthusiasm alone is unlikely to support a lasting cycle, leaving crypto’s near-term growth dependent on established use cases such as payments, settlement, and financial infrastructure.
Despite that, Sun remains optimistic about the long-term potential of AI and blockchain, particularly if developers shift their focus from experimentation to building tools that deliver practical, everyday value.
In the meantime, Sun said the industry’s most consistent momentum continues to come from stablecoins and cross-border payments. In regions of the global south where inflation has weakened confidence in local currencies, USDT on Tron has become a critical financial rail.
As Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino has previously noted, high-value transactions in countries such as Bolivia are increasingly being settled in USDT rather than domestic currencies.
“Blockchain has made digital dollar settlement possible for the first time — allowing money to move anywhere, at any time,” Sun said.
Until AI applications offer the same clarity and utility that stablecoins already provide, Sun said crypto’s most tangible progress will remain in the infrastructure quietly supporting real-world transactions.
