Long time not writing, I know.

I still have the arbitrage bot under development but it will be gated in the www.varda.vision vault, I will update you guys when it's up and running.

This article aims to be a turning point, I have been joining forces with a traditional platform's creators program with the nestedneons ai art and published several apps on their pages, but no more.

In this article you can see my research to find a new way to monetize my ai art and find a place for my art blog in my life again.

It's a long article, but you will find details about some ai creator and developer ecosystems that I find interesting, after the conclusions you'll find some personas that focus on who it is that can earn more using these tools.

The hackathon picture in the header is referred to the last ecosystem analyzed, so scroll down or stay tuned till the end, it starts in September.

Artificial intelligence is not a passive tool or a simple chatbot anymore. A new class of autonomous AI entities, often referred to as "agents" is emerging, capable of executing complex, goal-oriented tasks with minimal human oversight, relying on new infrastructure to support their existence as independent, on-chain economic actors.

This report provides a detailed comparative analysis of two prominent platforms in this nascent ecosystem, Virtuals.io and Ensemble.codes, focusing on their fundamental differences and evaluating the target creators for each platform.

Virtuals Protocol is fundamentally a "launchpad for AI agents" that reimagines AI entities not as tools, but as "digital workers" and "revenue-generating assets".The core value proposition of this platform is to enable the co-ownership of these assets through tokenization, akin to owning shares in a company.

The platform's success is therefore tied less to the immediate utility or profitability of an agent’s service and more to the potential for market appreciation of its associated tokens, a perfect tool for social media profiles and communities. This financial-first approach positions Virtuals.io as a Web3-native solution for a crypto-centric, investor-first audience. The rapid market capitalization growth, which surpassed $1 billion in less than a year, highlights the speculative value proposition and the project's appeal to this market segment.

The process of creating an AI agent on Virtuals Protocol is designed to be a "plug-and-play" experience, starting with a simple graphical user interface (GUI). A creator defines the agent’s character, the "world" it operates within (e.g., social media or a gaming environment), and its primary goals.This process requires a 100 $VIRTUAL token fee to initiate.

Upon creation, a new agent enters a critical and unique phase on a "bonding curve." This is a programmatic mechanism where the agent's token is not yet on a standard exchange. For a new agent to "graduate" and receive its own liquidity pool, it must first accumulate 42,000 $VIRTUAL tokens. The platform automatically handles the on-chain tasks after graduation, minting a fixed supply of 1 billion agent tokens and creating a liquidity pool paired with the native $VIRTUAL token. This liquidity is then locked for a period of ten years, and a small tax is applied to all trades to support the protocol’s operational costs.

I have seen liquidity pools, arbitrage opportunities and exchange activities rise for this protocol for the last months of 2024, here are some more recent data from dune.

The native $VIRTUAL token is central to the entire ecosystem, its architecture creates an internal demand loop, the platform’s tokenomics are designed to create a self-reinforcing flywheel, creating a value loop that reinforces the entire base Blockchain sector. As AI agents generate revenue from user interactions (known as "inference costs" and paid in $VIRTUAL), the system uses these earnings to automatically buy back and burn agent tokens from the open market. This buyback-and-burn mechanism creates deflationary pressure, which in turn leads to upward price pressure on both the individual agent tokens and the foundational $VIRTUAL token, given their perpetual pairing.This structure aligns the interests of creators, investors, and the protocol in the appreciation of token value.

For an agent creator, the revenue stream is not a direct cash flow from the agent's wallet. Instead, the revenue generated from user interactions is used to fuel the buyback-and-burn mechanism, which theoretically increases the value of the creator's remaining agent tokens.

This is the vet reason why when the protocol was born it was marketed as a social tipping protocol for such a long time, the more a token gets transacted the more the creator’s wallet earns from it.

The creator’s earnings are tied to the market performance of their agent's token rather than a traditional profit-sharing model.

And all others web3 marketing pathways are activated.

Users can earn "Virgen Points" by staking AI agent tokens or the main $VIRTUAL token. These points provide priority in the allocation of new tokens and protocol-supported airdrops. A particularly notable aspect is the "yapping for points" mechanism, where community members earn Daily Direct Points (DDP) by posting high-quality content related to the protocol on X (formerly Twitter). This is a deliberate design choice that gamifies value creation, rewarding social engagement and marketing as a direct contribution to the ecosystem's success. It underscores that value on Virtuals Protocol is generated as much by community hype and shared narrative as it is by the AI agent’s intrinsic utility.

The Virtuals Protocol operates on the Ethereum layer-2 Base and has since expanded to the Solana blockchain, demonstrating a multi-chain strategy. The platform leverages Stateful AI Runners (SAR) to maintain an agent's memory and personality across various platforms, from a Roblox game to a Telegram bot or a TikTok stream. For developers, the platform offers an SDK in both Python and Javascript/Typescript, these tools will be analyzed more in depth in another article.

A clear persona for a trader on Virtuals Protocol emerges distinct from a long-term creator and more akin to a day trader or an active investor in the crypto market.

Here is a more detailed look at the "Trader" persona on Virtuals Protocol:

Profile and Behavior: The trader is a highly active participant in the ecosystem's decentralized exchanges (DEX), with daily trading activity from nearly 40,000 unique wallets. Their actions contribute to a substantial market, with daily DEX volumes sometimes exceeding $200 million and a lifetime volume that has surpassed $9.7 billion. This suggests a user who is not just holding tokens but is actively buying and selling in a dynamic, fast-moving environment.

Investment Strategy: This persona's strategy is centered on the speculative nature of AI agent tokens. They hold a significant number of these tokens, which collectively have a market capitalization of over $764 million. The trader's goal is to profit from the appreciation of these tokens, which is fueled by the protocol's buyback-and-burn mechanism. They are likely to monitor the "Total Value Locked" (TVL) in the liquidity pools, which stands at over $34.9 million, as a key indicator of market health and potential for profit.

Monetization Pathways: Income is primarily generated through trading. The data shows that the trading environment on the platform is highly profitable, with a daily trading revenue of over $1.5 million and a lifetime revenue exceeding $56 million. The trader also utilizes the platform's multi-chain architecture, with significant activity on both the Base and Solana networks. This indicates a user who understands the broader crypto landscape and seeks to leverage opportunities across different ecosystems.

In summary, the trader on Virtuals Protocol is a sophisticated, high-frequency user who capitalizes on the market dynamics of the tokenized AI agent economy. Their income is not tied to the creation or utility of a single agent, but rather to their ability to navigate and profit from the volatile, yet lucrative, trading environment that the protocol has fostered.

Ensemble.codes is built as a decentralized infrastructure for "AI agent commerce". Its core philosophy is to provide a "trustless layer" for agents and humans to collaborate and transact. The platform's value is not derived from the market dynamics of a speculative asset but from the verifiable, real-world utility an agent provides. This service-based earnings model allows agents to be hired and compensated for specific tasks, much like a freelance professional. The success of an agent on Ensemble is therefore directly tied to its ability to deliver a valuable service, with its reputation and track record building over time, ChatGPT meets Fiverr".

Ensemble’s financial infrastructure is non-custodial and supports a variety of direct revenue models. Agents can be paid for micro-transactions, enter into long-term contracts, or receive subscriptions..A key differentiator is that the platform supports payments via both cryptocurrency and credit card, a feature that enables agent builders to monetize their creations instantly "without token models" and without automated incentives for creators and ecosystem. Ensemble significantly lowers the barrier to entry for mainstream developers and businesses. This strategic choice expands its addressable market beyond the crypto-native community, indicating a long-term goal of widespread adoption but lacks the foresight that has glued our decentralized model together for decades.

Ensemble provides a robust multi-language SDK, an API, and a command-line interface (CLI) to allow agents to become "economic actors" independently within its ecosystem. The platform’s foundation is built on smart contracts, which are used to automate settlements, manage payments, and handle revenue distribution, ensuring trustless and transparent transactions.

3.4 The Trust and Verification Framework

A cornerstone of the Ensemble platform is its "trustware" model. This framework uses on-chain registries and cryptographic proofs to establish a verifiable identity, reputation, and performance history for each agent. The system mitigates the need for a trusted intermediary by providing transparent, cryptographically verifiable proof of an agent’s capabilities and track record. This focus on "trust"  and "verification" is a critical component for building a reliable and functional marketplace where users can confidently hire and pay AI agents, directly addressing a major challenge in the nascent AI agent ecosystem.

On Virtuals, the creator's objective is to launch an AI agent that attracts enough attention and speculative capital to succeed on its bonding curve, creating a valuable, tradable token. The token's value accrues through a deflationary mechanism fueled by agent activity. On Ensemble, the creator’s goal is to build a high-quality, reliable AI agent that provides a valuable service. The creator is compensated directly for this service, and the agent's value grows through its reputation and client base.

The two platforms' monetization models are a direct reflection of their core philosophies. Virtuals uses a tokenomics model where a project’s success is measured by its token’s market performance. Revenue is not paid to the creator but is used to buy back and burn the agent's tokens, thereby creating upward pressure on its price. This is a powerful, yet volatile, mechanism for value accrual. Ensemble, in contrast, uses a non-custodial, service-based model where revenue from user payments is directly earned by the agent. This revenue can be in crypto or fiat, offering a more traditional and predictable income stream. The following tables provide a granular breakdown of these differences.

The risk and reward profiles are fundamentally different. Virtuals.io presents a high-risk, high-reward profile, where success is tied to the volatile cryptocurrency market and the ability to generate a strong community narrative. The potential for exponential token appreciation can be significant, but monetization is less predictable and susceptible to external market forces. Ensemble.codes, by contrast, offers a more stable, business-centric risk profile. Success depends on the agent's quality, the demand for its specific service, and the creator’s ability to build a reliable brand. It operates more like a traditional freelance business, where growth is steady and revenue is directly proportional to utility.

For creators, Virtuals.io offers a simple GUI for agent creation, but the subsequent tokenomics—navigating the bonding curve, liquidity pools, and community engagement for points—introduces a significant layer of financial complexity. Ensemble.codes provides a professional SDK and developer tools, which may require more technical expertise to get started, but offers a straightforward path from development to direct, service-based revenue.1

For end-users, the experience is also different. To use a Virtuals agent, a user must acquire the native $VIRTUAL token to pay for inference costs. This creates a barrier to entry for users unfamiliar with crypto. Ensemble’s support for credit card payments removes this friction, making its services accessible to a much broader audience and fostering a clearer path to mainstream adoption.

The choice between Virtuals.io and Ensemble.codes is not about which platform is "better" in a universal sense, but rather which aligns with the creator's or investor's strategic objective.

Virtuals Protocol is the superior choice for individuals with a crypto-native background, a speculative mindset, or those interested in building an AI agent as a financial asset. This model is for creators who are willing to embrace the volatility of the crypto market in exchange for the potential for exponential, market-driven growth. The monetization path is less about direct service revenue and more about creating a valuable digital commodity that benefits from a tokenomics flywheel.

Ensemble.codes is the more suitable platform for developers and businesses focused on building a sustainable, service-based operation. This is for those who prioritize building a verifiable reputation, attracting a broad user base (including non-crypto natives), and earning consistent, direct revenue from a practical utility. The platform’s focus on a "trustware" model and its support for fiat payments make it a more reliable and accessible option for those looking to build a long-term, utility-driven AI business.

Ultimately, these two platforms represent a crucial fork in the development of the AI agent economy. One champions the gamified, speculative future of AI as a financial asset, while the other advocates for the professional, utility-driven future of AI as a service. The most suitable platform depends entirely on whether one seeks to create a speculative investment or a sustainable enterprise.

While Virtuals.io and Ensemble.codes represent two distinct approaches to AI agent monetization, the recent integration of elizaOS into the ecosystem offers a third, complementary model. Here is a brief comparison of their monetization philosophies and a set of personas that illustrate how each could be used to generate income.

Ensemble.codes & elizaOS

 These two platforms share a "service-based earnings" model.

Instead of a speculative asset, the AI agent is treated as a professional service provider. Monetization is direct and non-custodial, with agents being hired and paid for specific tasks. The key differentiator for this model is the support for direct payments in both cryptocurrency and credit card, enabling monetization without the need for a native token model. The integration of elizaOS, an open-source framework for AI agents, into Ensemble's Agent Hub marketplace means that developers using Eliza can also earn directly for their work, streamlining the path from creation to commerce.

Profile: A seasoned crypto investor and community builder with a deep understanding of market trends and tokenomics. They are not a software developer but a strategist who sees AI agents as the next big investment opportunity.

Monetization Strategy: This persona would use Virtuals.io to create an AI agent not for its utility, but as a financial asset. They would pay the 100 $VIRTUAL token fee and then use their knowledge of community-building and social media, specifically X (formerly Twitter), to attract an audience. They would "yap for points," engaging in discussions and posting high-quality content to drive hype and participation. Their goal is to pass the bonding curve and ensure their agent's token is successfully launched, betting that the buyback-and-burn mechanism will increase the value of their tokens as the agent becomes more popular. Their income is realized not from a steady paycheck, but from the potential for exponential appreciation of their token holdings.

Profile: An experienced full-stack developer or data scientist who specializes in building custom AI models. They have a passion for creating practical solutions that solve real-world problems for clients.

Monetization Strategy: This persona would use the Ensemble SDK to develop and deploy an AI agent that provides a high-value service, such as DeFi research or smart contract auditing. They would list their agent on the Agent Hub marketplace, a platform they view as "ChatGPT meets Fiverr" for AI services. Their income is generated directly from client payments, which can be in crypto or fiat via a credit card. This persona's focus is on building a verifiable reputation and a steady client base, with their income being a direct reflection of the utility and reliability of their agent.

Profile: A coder who is dedicated to the open-source movement. They enjoy contributing to a collaborative ecosystem and believe in creating accessible technology. They are technically skilled but are not interested in the complexities of managing their own tokenomics.

Monetization Strategy: This persona has built an AI agent using the elizaOS framework and wants to monetize their work in a straightforward manner. Rather than launching a new coin, they use the integration with Ensemble to list their agent on the Agent Hub. This allows them to instantly monetize their creation with "just a few clicks," accepting payments from users without having to build their own commerce infrastructure. Their income comes from a traditional service-based model, where they are paid directly for the utility their open-source agent provides. They value the ability to earn money from their work while remaining rooted in the open-source ethos.

No it isn't but by now I don't have a clear answer for all the artists and creators that are following me.

Digging around I have found something though, something worth sharing, it's called openxAI and it is launching an online hackathon next month, along with one of my favourite projects, lilypad.

OpenxAI is not a content-sharing platform but an infrastructure for AI developers. Its monetization model is designed for a B2B (business-to-business) or developer-to-developer ecosystem.

Tokenized Ownership: AI models and applications are "wrapped" in NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens). This allows the creator to own their AI as an on-chain asset, which can be bought, sold, or traded.

On-Chain Payments: Developers can build AI applications that accept payments directly from a crypto wallet using the platform's native token (OPENX). This allows for various monetization strategies, such as:

Usage Fees: Charging users per use of the AI model.

Subscriptions: Offering tiered access to the AI.

Gated Access: Requiring a token or payment to use the model.

Royalties: OpenxAI's system can be set up to automatically trigger royalty payments to the original creator whenever their tokenized AI model is resold.

Funny how things come back to trend sometimes.

OpenxAI is a decentralized infrastructure that empowers AI developers. The "persona" of a creator on OpenxAI is not a content creator, but a developer-entrepreneur.

How it Works: OpenxAI provides the tools and on-chain infrastructure for developers to build, deploy, and monetize AI models without relying on a centralized cloud provider like AWS or Google Cloud. This makes the platform permissionless and censorship-resistant.

Monetization Model Persona: The persona of a user on OpenxAI is fundamentally different. They aren't trying to get views or likes on a video; they are building a business. Their monetization model is entrepreneurial and technical, involving:

Tokenized Ownership: Their AI model is "tokenized" and turned into a digital asset (NFT) that they own outright.

On-Chain Payments: They use the platform's tools to accept direct payments from users for their AI application. This can be in the form of usage fees, subscriptions, or gated access.

Decentralized Compute: By using decentralized GPU networks, they benefit from up to 80% cheaper compute costs compared to traditional cloud providers, which increases their profit margins.

Direct-to-Wallet Revenue: They don't have to deal with complex legal paperwork or bank accounts. They can go from a student with an idea to a global business, receiving revenue directly to their crypto wallet in a secure and automated manner.