Opinion by: Charu Sethi, president of unique network
Some argue that NFTs are dead. Other people are out to return along the next market cycle for speculative art bounce. Both beliefs remember reality. NFTs are neither obsolete nor ready for another speculative publicity. The most important phase in their development is that NFT is infection in the core digital infrastructure that reduces NFT gaming, AI and machine-powered applications.
Market has developed
There are clear indications that NFT utility is replacing speculation, and catching trend. As DampdarQ1 In 2025, the NFT trading volume dropped 24%, but sales fell by only 10%, indicating reducing average prices rather than exiting the user. With the ability to avail NFT for AI and Social DAPS-agent identification, assets, credentials and access, Q1 increased rapidly in Q1, and real-world property (RWAS), domain NFT and metavors assets such as domain NFT and metavors assets showed continuous tractions.
In gaming, platforms such as mythological and sandbox grow, where in-game property provides real, functional value. While there is still a sight and interopeble NFT demand, there are also examples where they are being distributed to developers and end-users.
NFT in Agent AI era
The NFT was originally conceived to enable digital ownership, identity and programable rights – not speculative trading. It was to give people ownership of their digital life. This should be their identity, health records, social media content or creative work – NFT introduced a way to prove ownership. This vision was fundamental to the broad web 3 movement.
This fundamental vision was obscured by the rise of memecoin and short -term financial propaganda, which distorted the public perception of NFT and Web 3. This main utility resurves as the agent AI era, where the code is found by cognition. Autonomous AI agents now require self-confidence, memory, and access controls to operate effectively onchain.
With the AI framework mature, NFTs are embedded as infrastructure. They use credentials for identity anchors, verification -able data containers and agents acting in decentralized environment. An NFT-bound agent can reach out to services independently, signing the transaction, and the contract can trigger argument-its right is valid by NFT. This converts NFT into operational components that remain in contexts.
recent: Crypto, NFT is a lifeboat in the sinking fiat system: Finance redefined
This utility is already in production. Renforcedai’s subnet releases NFTs on bittensor, which is a proof of perfection audit, which enforces the encrypted verification review and decentralized reward mechanisms. Similarly, NFT is used to certify input-output processes in AI pipelines. In parallel, projects such as PEAQ use “machine NFT” to transact equipment such as vehicles and drones identification and autonomy. As AI agents integrate further into the web 3 system, NFT will underline the workflow from individual AI purse to non-fanciful autonomous agents.
UX-driven wallet and mainstream entry
The growth of social wallet is another driver. Instead of complex key management, users on the ship via email or social login, and their profile pics, membership and credentials (quietly NFT) display as part of their web 3 identity. Above 50% user The age of 18–34 already uses social wallets regularly, especially in gaming and community apps.
These wallets prefer user experience and easily embed the NFT in familiar interface. In social gaming platforms, for example, players may also not realize their avatars, emotions or achievements. Nevertheless, these assets are portable, tradable and interopeable – serve as connective tissues in platforms. It is learned about how the right ownership and great UX Social apps are important for succeeding.
NFT as invisible infrastructure
NFTs are not disappearing – they are becoming core infrastructure, acting in decentralized systems as assets ownership, transaction -related logic and autonomous agent behavior are served as layers for behavior. They support the player owned economies in gaming, identify and serve as credential containers for AI agents, and enabling payment and access rights in machine-to-machine networks. It reflects a comprehensive architectural shift for embedded in wallets, SDKs and protocols from back-end components from front-end collectables. NFTs now defines their role from power access control, data provence and interoperability, visible assets to essential systems primitives.
As a measure of success, the speculative NFT is misleading waiting for the return of the NFT boom – the real progress is coming out on the layer of the infrastructure, where NFTs are quietly required.
By opinion: Charu Sethi, Chairman of Unique Network.
This article is for general information purposes and is not intention and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The ideas, ideas and opinions expressed here are alone of the author and not necessarily reflected or represented the ideas and ideas of the components.
