Even as the buzz around AI agents has simmered down since last year, the underlying economy is picking up steam without much fanfare. Take Virtuals Protocol, for instance—it's quietly built a powerhouse in the space, boasting a market cap north of $500 million for its agents and racking up over $8 billion in onchain DEX volume. What's even more impressive? More than 90% of this activity is happening on Base, the Ethereum layer-2 chain that's become a hotbed for meme tokens and decentralized apps.

This chart from Messari tells the story loud and clear. As of September 9, 2025, Base is crushing it with an average of 11,734 daily active addresses, claiming a whopping 90.2% share of the activity. Ethereum trails far behind at just 230 addresses (1.8%), Solana with 1,043 (8.0%), and others barely registering. It's a visual reminder of how Base has become the go-to platform for scalable, low-cost transactions—perfect for the fast-paced world of AI agents and, by extension, the meme token ecosystem that thrives on quick trades and community-driven hype.

For those new to the scene, AI agents are autonomous programs that can perform tasks on the blockchain, like trading, data analysis, or even creating content. Virtuals Protocol makes this possible through its tech stack, including ACP (Agent Creation Protocol) and GAME (likely standing for something agent-related, but think of it as the engine powering these bots). These tools allow developers and users to build and deploy agents that interact seamlessly with decentralized exchanges (DEXs), contributing to that massive $8B+ volume.

Why does this matter for meme token enthusiasts? Base's dominance here isn't just about AI—it's intertwined with the meme coin surge. Chains like Base offer cheap fees and high throughput, making it easier for meme projects to launch, trade, and go viral. Virtuals' agents could supercharge this by automating trades, spotting trends, or even generating meme content on the fly. Imagine an AI agent that sniffs out the next big meme token pump before it happens—that's the kind of edge this tech provides.

Messari's recent report dives deep into this shift, explaining how Virtuals is leading the charge. If you're in the blockchain game, whether as a trader, developer, or just a curious observer, keeping an eye on protocols like this could be key to staying ahead. Check out the full breakdown in Messari's report for more insights.

As the agent economy scales, it's clear Base is the chain to watch. With activity consolidating here, meme tokens and AI are set to collide in exciting ways, potentially sparking the next wave of innovation in crypto. What's your take—ready to deploy your own agent on Base?