The NFT market has surged to $2.5 billion in sales during the first half of this year, while it was worth just $13 million at the same time last year. A number of NFT trends are riding this towering wave. The Rise of the Sophisticated Metaverse The first trend is the rise of the sophisticated metaverse. In the current metaverse, you can buy virtual land, digital artworks, avatars, and more NFTs. These assets are non-fungible — meaning that each one is unique and cannot be replicated or cloned. This provides an immutable record of their ownership which can’t be tampered with without their permission. But what if these digital items were smart enough to make decisions on their own? What if they displayed personality traits and opinions? Is it possible for a digital item to become “intelligent”? In many cases, the answer is yes. These so-called “intelligent NFTs” are just starting to emerge from startups like Alethea, which has just raised $16 million. This startup is working on developing AI-based software that will allow digital items to develop their own intelligence within a blockchain — with a long-term vision akin to self-aware AIs in SciFi movies like “Her” and “Blade Runner.” The development of AI technology has accelerated recently due to new investments by major technology firms like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft into artificial intelligence research teams. These technological advances will further ac...
