Tom Lee of Fundstrat insists the AI investment story is far from over, with the next surge tied to crypto payment systems designed for software agents instead of humans. Meanwhile, veteran investor Jordi Visser takes a more cautious stance, suggesting AI’s rapid gains have slowed. Despite their differences, both see Ethereum as the key platform to watch.
Lee's Vision: Crypto Rails for a New AI Economy
Tom Lee draws parallels between the early mobile phone market and today’s AI landscape. In the 1990s, Motorola and its infrastructure suppliers kicked off the cycle, but the biggest winners were companies like Apple and the telecom tower operators that followed. Lee believes AI’s growth will mirror this pattern, with financial services as the key downstream sector.
Lee explains that traditional banks built commerce around trust, proof of funds, lending, and tax collection needs irrelevant to software agents. Instead, agents will use decentralized payment rails that don’t rely on national currency settlements. According to him, "money is becoming code," enabling assets such as equities, gold, and tokens to serve as payment methods.
Supporting this view, a proposed Ethereum standard, ERC-8183, aims to lock agent payments in escrow until approved by a designated evaluator. Developed by Ethereum Foundation researcher Davide Crapis and Virtuals Protocol engineers, the draft is still in early stages but signals progress toward agent-oriented crypto infrastructure.
Visser's Take and Shared Ethereum Outlook
Jordi Visser, leading AI research at 22V Research and former CIO at Weiss Multi-Strategy Advisers, believes the easiest AI gains are behind us. He forecasts a more moderate 30% annual return, down from the explosive multiples investors previously hoped for. Lee interprets this moderation as a market rotation rather than a collapse.
Both experts agree that fee-generating networks will be the ultimate recipients of AI-driven capital flow, with Ethereum positioned front and center. At the time of writing, Ethereum trades near $1,873, having risen nearly 20% over the past month but still down over 50% from a year ago.
Lee’s direct financial interest in Ethereum is notable as he chairs BitMine Imm, the largest corporate holder of ether valued at $11.8 billion, giving his bullish views extra weight.
This article is informational and does not constitute financial advice.
