AI Token Showdown 2025: TAO vs FET vs NUM vs GRT — Which Will Dominate?

🧠 AI Tokens in Web3: A New Kind of Crypto Arms Race
If 2023–2024 was the warm-up for AI x Web3, then 2025 is the main event — and these tokens are the front-line soldiers. But while everyone’s screaming “AI narrative,” let’s do the unthinkable in crypto: compare fundamentals.
In this piece, we’re pitting BitTensor (TAO), Fetch.ai (FET), Numeraire (NUM), and The Graph (GRT) in a 4-way token smackdown. Who has real-world usage? Who’s just surfing the hype wave? Let’s dig in.

📦 Tokenomics: Who Prints, Who Burns, Who Dilutes?
🥇 TAO (BitTensor)

• Supply: Fixed at 21 million (Bitcoin-style scarcity)
• Emission: Mined through “Proof-of-Intelligence” — basically, if your AI model adds value, you earn
• Utility: Access to AI models, governance, staking, payment for inference/training
• Notable: No VC allocations = full community-centric launch

🤖 FET (Fetch.ai)

• Supply: Max 1.15 billion tokens (subject to change via governance)
• Utility: Fuel for autonomous agents, microservices, data exchanges
• Recent Move: Set to merge into the new Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (ASI) alongside AGIX & OCEAN
• Tokenomics: Dynamic, now governed under ASI umbrella

🧠 NUM (Numeraire)

• Supply: 11 million max
• Burning Mechanism: Stakers can lose NUM if their AI models underperform
• Use Case: Staking on AI models in hedge fund predictions (Numerai tournament)
• Unique Model: You’re betting on your model’s intelligence — and punished if wrong

🧬 GRT (The Graph)

• Supply: Initially capped at 10 billion — now inflationary
• Utility: Indexing protocol for querying blockchain data (subgraphs)
• AI Angle: Building out AI-enhanced indexing; speculative AI x Infra narrative
• Tokenomics: Validator/inflation-driven, with staking + delegation

🔧 Utility Breakdown: Who Does What (and Why It Matters)

• TAO: Powers a decentralized AI model marketplace. Your bandwidth and training power = rewards. Think of it as a neural net mining pool.
• FET: Powers autonomous AI agents that talk, transact, and negotiate on your behalf. You can deploy your own agents in the Fetch network.
• NUM: A token for AI model gladiators — developers compete in Numerai’s data science tournaments, with staking outcomes tied to rewards or slashing.
• GRT: Originally not an AI token per se — but now riding the AI narrative through indexing enhancements.

📈 Market Performance (as of June 2025)

• TAO exploded due to narrative + scarcity.
• FET saw a boost after ASI merger hype.
• GRT is stable, but speculative on AI + indexing.
• NUM lags, but niche hedge fund use case still intact.

🧩 Ecosystem & Partnerships

• TAO: Used in DeSci & AI trading agents. 10K+ nodes. Niche but rapidly growing.
• FET: Partnered with Bosch, T-Mobile, several academic institutions.
• NUM: Built around Numerai — essentially a hedge fund DAO.
• GRT: Integral to infra — partnered with Optimism, Arbitrum, and other L2s.

🥊 Verdict: Who Wins What?

🧠 Final Thoughts
The AI token race is far from over. TAO might win today’s meme war, FET is betting big on autonomy, NUM keeps it niche but novel, and GRT continues to be the AI sleeper pick inside the infra stack.
Want exposure to AI x Web3? Diversify. Or pick the one that screams your name in robot voice.

🧪 Because in 2025, AI isn’t just the future — it’s already backtested.