What is the expected timeline and milestones for the decentralized AI initiatives tied to the TAO treasury?

Timeline & Milestones

• Q2 2025 (June 30) – Oblong disclosed a $8 million expansion of its TAO‑based treasury and signaled the start of a “Decentralized AI” program. The cash‑injection is earmarked for staking, liquidity‑building and early‑stage R&D on Bittensor’s open‑AI subnet.

• Q3 2025 (July‑Sept) – Initial staking & network‑bootstrapping. Expect the company to allocate ~30‑40 % of the new capital to TAO staking contracts to secure a baseline yield (≈ 12‑15 % APY) and to fund the first wave of developer grants. Market participants will watch for a rise in TAO on‑chain activity (staking volume, grant announcements, and subnet‑creation) and a modest‑to‑moderate price‑support for TAO as liquidity is seeded.

• Q4 2025 (Oct‑Dec) – First decentralized AI product rollout. Oblong plans to launch a pilot AI service built on the Bittensor subnet (e.g., a language‑model API or data‑oracle). This milestone should be accompanied by a public “AI‑as‑a‑service” token‑burn or reward mechanism, which historically triggers short‑term bullish moves in the underlying token. Anticipate a 10‑15 % price bump in TAO if the pilot demonstrates functional, on‑chain AI output and attracts early users.

• H1 2026 – Scaling & ecosystem expansion. With the pilot validated, Oblong will funnel the remaining treasury capital into additional subnet grants, cross‑chain integrations, and partnership deals (e.g., with data‑providers or compute‑layers). The rollout of multiple AI‑subnets should create a step‑wise uplift in TAO’s utility and demand, potentially pushing the token into a new higher‑volatility regime as institutional and retail interest converges.

Trading Implications

• Short‑term (next 4‑6 weeks): TAO is likely to experience low‑volatility, modest upside as the market digests the $8 M treasury boost and early staking activity. A buy‑on‑dip around current support levels (≈ $0.12‑$0.14) could position traders for the Q4 product‑launch catalyst.

• Mid‑term (Q4 2025): The pilot AI launch is the primary catalyst. Anticipate a 10‑20 % rally if the service gains traction; consider a partial‑position entry ahead of the announcement and a tight stop just below the recent swing low to protect against a possible “pump‑and‑dump” around the news.

• Long‑term (2026+): As Oblong scales the decentralized AI ecosystem, TAO’s fundamental demand (staking yields, grant incentives, and network usage) will rise, supporting a higher price band (potentially > $0.30 by year‑end 2026). Traders can transition from speculative short‑term plays to a more growth‑oriented, position‑sizing approach once the ecosystem shows sustained on‑chain activity and revenue‑generating AI services.