Opinion: AI tokens may become the first successful digital currency, unlike past attempts at eCash, Linden Dollar, and Bitcoin.

AI tokens function as a digital store of value because they are useful, transferable, and increasingly universal in nature. Users can already buy AI tokens on the blockchain, and anyone with GPUs can rent them out; AI futures markets also exist.

The term 'token' originated with 19th century mathematician Charles Sanders Peirce in linguistics, and computer scientists adopted it to describe the smallest fragments that large language models break text into. OpenAI began charging users based on tokens consumed, and the pricing model became standard.

As the AI industry matures, technology will become more secure, reliable, and economical; GPUs will become more universal, decentralized, and efficient; and data centers will compete on performance and reliability. AI tokens may then become the most universal and global digital currency created to date.