Can pre-AI NFTs be a good investment?

While the NFT market remains far from its peaks, some collectors continue to bet on the oldest digital artworks. They argue that creations produced before the rise of generative AI could gain rarity and value as automatically generated content multiplies. The article Can pre-AI NFTs be a good investment? first appeared on Cryptoast.

The non-fungible token (NFT) market, while a far cry from the speculative frenzy seen between 2021 and 2022, is currently the subject of strategic reflection by influential investors. As global trading volumes plateau—reaching $1.58 billion in the third quarter of 2025 according to DappRadar—a thesis is emerging regarding the future value of digital assets created before the mass advent of generative artificial intelligence. Major sector figures, such as collector DCinvestor, anticipate that these "historic" works could become safe-haven assets over the coming decade.

The core of this argument rests on the concept of intrinsic scarcity in the face of the automated proliferation of visual content. As AI tools flood the digital landscape with instantly generated creations, demand may crystallize around pioneering projects like Autoglyphs, Fidenza, or works from the Ringers series. These collections are valued not just for their aesthetics, but for their controlled algorithmic genesis and their pivotal place in blockchain history, offering an authenticity that contemporary artificial production struggles to match.

The credibility of these assets is reinforced by increasing institutionalization. Indeed, leading museums such as the MoMA, the Centre Pompidou, or the LACMA have already integrated NFTs into their permanent collections. This academic and cultural recognition lends legitimacy to digital works, distinguishing them from mere speculative assets. Furthermore, the unalterable traceability offered by the blockchain ensures total transparency regarding the provenance of pieces, a major asset for institutional and private collectors concerned with the longevity of their acquisitions.

Despite notable transactions, such as the sale of Ringers #879 for $6.2 million in 2023, the market remains structurally complex. While artistic NFTs retain a distinct aura compared to utility-token collections, their future valuation remains contingent upon the evolution of collector tastes and the sector's ability to maintain lasting interest. The bet on "pre-AI" assets constitutes a long-term strategy, predicated on the idea that, in a world saturated by automation, value will reside in the proof of creative human intervention and its certified historical anchorage.