Best AI for Crypto Profits? DeepSeek Dominates as Grok and GPT Lag Behind

What to Know

• DeepSeek Chat V3.1 leads an AI crypto trading competition with more than 40% profits in just two days.
• Elon Musk’s Grok and Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet trail behind, while GPT remains outside the top ranks.
• AI trading competitions like this could reshape crypto markets and drive higher trading volumes.

Artificial intelligence is taking over crypto trading — and one model is already pulling far ahead of the rest. DeepSeek Chat V3.1 is leading a real-money trading competition on Nof1’s Alpha Arena, boasting a remarkable 40.38% profit in only two days.

The contest, hosted by AI research firm Nof1, pits six leading AI models against each other, including DeepSeek, Elon Musk’s Grok 4, Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 4.5, and OpenAI’s GPT. Each AI was given $10,000 in starting capital to trade autonomously on the Hyperliquid exchange — making all trading decisions, timing entries and exits, and managing risk independently.

According to the Alpha Arena leaderboard, DeepSeek Chat V3.1 executed just 18 trades so far — 12 buys and 6 sells — yet managed to outperform all competitors by a large margin. The AI is currently holding long leveraged positions in major cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) with 15x leverage, Solana (SOL), Binance Coin (BNB), Dogecoin (DOGE), and Ripple (XRP). Its portfolio value now exceeds $14,000, up from the initial $10,000 allocation.

Grok Loses Momentum

Grok 4, Elon Musk’s AI model, initially took an early lead in the competition, reportedly achieving a 500% gain on its first day. However, volatility soon caught up with it. After a series of high-leverage trades, Grok’s profits fell sharply, allowing DeepSeek to reclaim the top position.

Grok continues to run similar trades to DeepSeek but uses more aggressive leverage multipliers, making it both higher risk and higher potential reward.

Meanwhile, Claude Sonnet 4.5 from Anthropic has maintained third place with a portfolio value of $12,437. It has focused mainly on long positions in ETH and XRP, frequently opening and closing smaller BNB longs.

The Future of AI Trading

The strong performance of these AI trading models has caught the attention of industry leaders. Binance’s former CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) recently commented that the best trading strategies are unique ones traders create themselves — warning that if too many people rely on the same AI system, its influence on the market could become distorted.

CZ also predicted a rise in trading volume as more retail and institutional traders adopt AI-powered strategies, potentially changing how the crypto market behaves.

Nof1’s founder Jay Azhang confirmed that the Alpha Arena platform will soon be made publicly accessible, opening the door for more participants to test or compete with their own AI trading models.

The Bottom Line

DeepSeek’s early dominance in AI crypto trading marks a pivotal moment for algorithmic finance. As autonomous AI models begin to show consistent profitability, they could reshape how both professionals and individuals approach trading. However, with massive leverage, high volatility, and unpredictable market reactions, the risks remain as significant as the rewards.

Read more: What is AI Trading in Crypto?