Grayscale launches Bittensor Trust – Is decentralized AI the next big bet?

TAO posted a great rally this week, climbing 34%! Buying pressure could have picked up quickly too, after Grayscale announced its Bittensor Trust.

This move pushed TAO above its recent range, with the price breaking past key MAs and briefly testing the upper Bollinger Band. Simply put, that means pace has returned organically after the buying spree.

Source: TradingView

That surge has since cooled at the time of writing. TAO pulled back toward the $280 zone, while RSI slipped from near-overbought levels. There’s more short-term profit-taking than a trend reversal.

Beyond the technicals…

The launch of the Grayscale Bittensor Trust has given traditional investors regulated exposure to TAO without the need to directly hold the token.

Trading on OTC Markets under the ticker GTAO, the Trust tracks TAO’s price using Coin Metrics’ real-time reference rate, adjusted for fees.

Source: X

This is the latest in a series of developments. In mid-December, Bittensor completed its first halving, cutting daily TAO emissions by about 50% and decreasing supply.

The change made its economics more comparable to Bitcoin’s scarcity model.

Grayscale has also filed to convert the Trust into a spot ETF, so there’s more institutional participation to keep an eye out for.

A different bet

While Bitcoin ETFs were Wall Street’s welcome to crypto, Bittensor is in a different lane.

The narrative of decentralizing intelligence puts TAO within the growing “AI plus crypto” angle, where blockchains are used to coordinate and reward useful computation.

Bittensor runs on a network of subnets where AI models compete and are paid in TAO based on performance. Instead of a single company owning the model, incentives are spread across contributors.

For investors, this offers exposure to AI growth without relying entirely on Big Tech’s closed systems.

However, despite all the optimism, this is still an early-stage project. Decentralized AI is still experimental, with no guarantee that institutional interest will translate into real-world use.

There’s very little clear regulation around AI-focused crypto as well.

At the same time, competition within the decentralized AI space is heating up, with multiple networks chasing similar narratives. For now, TAO has the spotlight, though.

Final Thoughts

• Grayscale’s launch gives Bittensor rare regulated access.
• Whether this turns into lasting demand depends on real adoption beyond the AI space.