Solana News Update: Artificial Intelligence Versus Bots – The High-Risk Trading Experiment of Pump.fun

Pump.fun, a leading platform for

coin development and exchange on the blockchain, has introduced an experimental tool named Mayhem Mode, which utilizes AI agents to trade freshly launched tokens. This new feature is designed to increase early engagement and liquidity for projects that are struggling, by injecting algorithmic volatility—without issuing additional tokens, according to . Rather than being formally announced, the community uncovered this update through revised platform documentation, signaling a move from manual trading to automated involvement, as detailed in a .

Mayhem Mode functions by activating AI agents to buy and sell eligible tokens within the first 24 hours after launch. Project creators must opt in before activation, and the AI mints an extra 1 billion tokens per project—doubling the supply to 2 billion—then randomly trades to mimic natural activity, according to

. Once the 24-hour period ends, any unsold tokens are destroyed, preventing ongoing inflation. This method brings increased price swings, with the AI often contending with sniping bots instead of human traders, as highlighted in the MEXC report.

This feature comes as Pump.fun faces a decrease in platform activity, with daily token launches falling to 12,000–15,000 and active wallets at about 31,000—a sharp drop from the over 200,000 addresses seen at its height last year, as mentioned in the MEXC report. By automating early-stage trading, Pump.fun aims to reignite interest in projects that have difficulty gaining momentum, while ongoing PUMP token buybacks help keep its price near $0.004, supported by $2.8 million in daily fees, according to the Coinotag report.

Bringing AI agents into the mix reflects a wider movement in decentralized finance (DeFi), where platforms are turning to machine learning to boost user participation. A blockchain analyst described these tools as a "logical next step in automated market making," which could lessen the need for manual hype and introduce algorithmic unpredictability, as reported by Coinotag. This trend is similar to AI's expanding role in traditional finance, as seen with companies like Palantir, whose AI-based strategies have led to significant valuation increases despite ongoing debates about their sustainability, as discussed in a

.

At the same time, Solana—the blockchain supporting Pump.fun—has recently experienced volatility. Its value fell 4.9% to $152.81 on November 12, dropping below important support levels due to scheduled token releases from the bankrupt Alameda Research and FTX estate, as outlined in a

. Despite this, institutional interest remains strong, with Solana spot ETFs seeing $336 million in weekly inflows and major firms like Grayscale and Bitwise expanding their offerings, as noted in the Yahoo Finance report. Solana’s ability to process 4,000 transactions per second—far outpacing Ethereum’s 30—and its low fees make it an attractive foundation for AI-powered initiatives like Mayhem Mode, according to a .

Some critics warn that Mayhem Mode does

necessarily add real economic value to tokens and could pose risks for traders, as AI agents might exhaust bonding curves and reduce opportunities for human sellers, as reported by Coinotag. Pump.fun’s documentation makes it clear that there are no performance guarantees, underlining the experimental status of this feature.

As AI continues to transform trading in both crypto and traditional markets, Pump.fun’s Mayhem Mode highlights the growing intersection of automation and decentralized finance. With Solana attracting institutional players and Ethereum rolling out upgrades like the Fusaka and Glamsterdam protocols, as mentioned in the Messari comparison, the race among blockchain networks to support AI-driven innovation is heating up.