Crypto firms' AI push is about survival, not profit, says Tiger Research

The recent wave of AI service launches by major cryptocurrency companies is a strategic move for survival amid intensifying competition, rather than a short-term play for profits, according to a report from Tiger Research, an Asian Web3 research and consulting firm. The report notes that while the crypto industry was initially slow to adopt AI, it is now joining the broader trend driven by the popularization of services like ChatGPT and Claude and the emergence of tools like OpenClaw that lower development barriers. AI is now being increasingly utilized in areas such as research, automated trading, security audits, and payment infrastructure. The report contrasts the current environment with November 2022, when the AI industry was less mature and the crypto sector's capacity for innovation was limited by the trust crisis following the FTX collapse. Today, major exchanges like Coinbase, Binance, and Bitget are strengthening their AI strategies primarily to maintain market leadership, which Tiger Research interprets as a fundamental response to a paradigm shift, not merely trend-following.