
Newsletter #209: AI is Changing NFTs
This week’s featured collector is Pakattack
Pakattack’s has a solid collection of Ethereum NFTs including a Milady. Take a look at lazy.com/pakattack
Which catalyst do you think would most effectively reignite the digital‑art & NFT market?
Last week’s reveals that among several potential catalysts to reignite the digital art and NFT market, “Seamless user experience” was the most favored option, receiving 50% of the votes. This reflects a strong consensus that simplifying the interface and reducing friction in the onboarding and interaction process could bring in the much-needed third wave of collectors, especially non-crypto natives. “Institutional validation” and “Clear global regulation” each garnered 25%, signaling that while users value structural support and legitimacy, these alone may not drive mass adoption. Notably, “Compliant fractional ownership” and “Not sure / None of the above” received 0%, suggesting the community sees clear paths forward rather than uncertainty or niche solutions. This aligns with broader market insights from the Art Basel 2024 report, which argues that growth now hinges not on hype but on better usability, real-world relevance, and cultural integration.
How GPT-4o is Changing NFTs
In this issue, we take an in-depth look at how AI advancements, particularly ChatGPT’s latest image-generation capabilities, are reshaping the NFT ecosystem. With the ease of replicating distinct artistic styles, questions around exclusivity and ownership emerge—signaling potential shifts in the very essence of NFT value.
AI Generation and the Ownership of Artistic Style
The release of GPT-4o’s image-generation feature marks a pivotal moment. Collectors and creators alike are experimenting freely with prompts like “Azuki style,” “Cyberpunk vibes,” or “Studio Ghibli-inspired,” instantly transforming original NFT images into reimagined variants.
Azuki, recognized for its distinctive anime-inspired style, exemplifies this disruption. Users now generate convincing adaptations effortlessly. According to bitsCrunch data, Azuki’s floor price saw a noticeable 44% decrease from its 2024 peak—reflecting broader market uncertainties and highlighting the pressing question: Is ownership of a visual style still valuable?
NFT Value: Utility over Speculation
Recent trading statistics reveal critical insights into the current state of the market. Although the NFT space experienced a temporary resurgence in late 2023 driven by Bitcoin ordinal inscriptions, the momentum dwindled significantly. By March 2025, monthly NFT trading volume across platforms had reduced considerably, stabilizing at around $110 million, with value largely maintained by projects offering tangible utilities, such as gaming integrations, exclusive access rights, offline events, and robust community ties.
This underlines a critical insight for investors and creators—NFTs now must offer intrinsic human value beyond mere aesthetic marketability. Sustainable NFT projects today deliver experiences, utilities, and meaningful community-centric rewards.
Style Ownership: Legal and Ethical Considerations
As AI-generated styles proliferate, important legal questions arise. Could NFTs pioneer new forms of digital intellectual property, allowing artists and collections to patent exclusive styles? Or will we see a rise in decentralized, open-source styles with royalties shared through blockchain transparency? The solution could define the next stage of NFT market evolution.
NFTs as Multifunctional Containers of Value
Building toward future horizons, NFTs might increasingly transcend strictly visual aesthetics, serving instead as comprehensive meta-data vessels. Imagine an NFT granting governance rights over music distribution, handling shared creative influence over collective storytelling, or providing exclusive ticketing and event access. Rather than pixel scarcity, NFTs will embody “provable participation”—highlighting human connection, recognition, and community belonging as the central drivers of value.
In Closing: NFTs and AI, Partners in Innovation
Rather than posing a threat, GPT-4o’s arrival represents transformative opportunity. It compels NFTs to evolve from static visuals to dynamic digital identities, redefining notions of creativity, ownership, and connection. Indeed, AI has not diminished NFTs—it’s empowered them toward their next horizon of maturity and innovation.
Stay tuned, keep collecting, keep innovating.
Go deeper on this topic at HackerNoon.
If AI can instantly replicate any visual style, does owning that style still hold value in the NFT world?
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