Crypto billionaire Justin Sun says crypto’s next breakthrough could come from artificial intelligence (AI), posting Tuesday on X that he’s all-in on AI, but that the industry has yet to produce a product that resonates with consumers.
In an interview with CoinDesk ahead of the Hong Kong Consensus 2026, the Tron founder argued that most AI-related tokens remain conceptual rather than functional.
While investors frequently cite AI as the next enabler for digital assets, Sun said the industry lacks the equivalent of a “ChatGPT moment” – a consumer-facing application that clearly demonstrates its value.
Until that happens, he said, enthusiasm alone is unlikely to drive a sustained market cycle, leaving crypto dependent on advancements in payments, settlements and other proven use cases.
“For most AI tokens, this is just a concept,” Sun said in Hong Kong. “We haven’t really reached the goal yet.”
Sun nonetheless argued that the convergence of AI and blockchain remains one of the most promising long-term directions for the industry, particularly if developers can produce tools that are immediately useful rather than experimental.
At the same time, Sun said the most reliable momentum in the sector continues to come from areas that already show steady demand, particularly stablecoins and cross-border payments.
In parts of the South where residents simply don’t trust inflation-ridden currencies, USDT on Tron provides a lifeline for financial access. As Tether founder Paolo Ardoino pointed out last summer, in countries like Bolivia, high-end imports are paid for in USDT.
“[With blockchain it’s] This is the first time in the world that we have this type of digital dollar settlement, where you can transfer money anywhere, 24/7,” Sun said.
Until a mainstream AI product offers the same clarity that stablecoins provide, crypto’s most visible advancements will likely remain in the infrastructure that quietly underpins everyday transactions.
