The AI meme coin sector shows no signs of slowing down—and the recent explosion of DeepSeek R1, an open-source LLM from China, is sending shockwaves through the ecosystem.
A new token inspired by the Chinese model, DeepSeek AI Agent (DEEPSEEK) has burst onto the scene with a 7,500% pump on the weekly chart, clearing new all-time highs and locking in a peak market cap of over $15 million.
DeepSeek R1 is also being deployed this week by iDEGEN—an autonomous AI agent that learns exclusively from Crypto Twitter. The controversial agent will now offer a DeepSeek version, as well as its raw, uncensored core model, and has now raised over $18.5 million in its presale.
DeepSeek enters crypto: The market responds
Chinese AI lab DeepSeek’s newest model, R1, has caused quite the stir in the stock market this week.
R1’s ability to effectively match OpenAI’s $200/month o1 Pro model—for free, and far more efficiently—has led markets to doubt the exorbitant levels of capital expenditure among American AI firms. NVIDIA’s stock tumbled in the aftermath, and serious questions are being asked as to the trillions of dollars now being poured into AI infrastructure.
But crypto has responded in a different way. An unofficial DeepSeek coin, DEEPSEEK, has taken the market by storm, with the hype around R1 taking the token to a $15 million market cap with a pump of over 7,500% over the last week. This performance is extremely impressive, and has taken the new token to the top of the AI meme coin charts in short order.
However, it’s worth noting that this is not an official coin: the project has no affiliation with DeepSeek itself or the R1 model, and simply allows users to interact with the open-source model—already freely available online—within a Telegram mini-app. Users wishing to bet on the success of R1 should note that there is no guarantee of this coin mapping the LLM’s ascent.
iDEGEN’s new path
iDEGEN has caused nothing but controversy since it launched late last year—but with that controversy has come immense funding, and that could be kicking up a gear in the coming weeks.
Raised like a child by the degens of Crypto Twitter, the AI agent’s responses have been predictably degenerate, so much so that its X account has twice been banned for “violent speech” in brutal takedowns of haters.
For those who believe iDEGEN is slightly too uncensored, a new option will soon be available: a DeepSeek-based version that offers R1’s incredible computational power, but with the safety guardrails that stop full-on digital degeneracy. While the raw version is likely to prove more popular—it’s raised nearly $20 million in its current form—the hype surrounding R1 could pull in even more inflows as the presale enters its final stretch.
iDEGEN lists on 27th February
The iDEGEN ICO ends on 26th February, with exchange listings following the very next day, meaning that time is running out to get in early on this AI crypto behemoth.
Entries are currently available at a heavily discounted price of just $0.0161, and based on current trends, this price point won’t be around for long. With video content recently activated, a much-hyped DeepSeek model just around the corner, and FOMO likely to ratchet up as listing day approaches, this could be your last chance to get in on the cheap.
Visit the iDEGEN website to learn more.
