Bittensor Price Prediction: How Will TAO React if the AI Hype Cools Off?

By Afe Funbi

TAO is starting to move again, and honestly, it’s been a long time coming. After months of getting pushed lower and feeling like every bounce was getting sold off immediately, the TAO price is finally reacting the way bulls have been waiting for. The downtrend hasn’t magically disappeared, but the market is clearly paying attention again.

Crypto expert Michaël van de Poppe pointed out that TAO is bouncing strongly, and he thinks the halving could end up being a big tailwind going forward. His take is pretty simple: even if the loud AI hype fades a bit, the deeper connection between crypto and AI isn’t going anywhere. 

The TAO chart makes it pretty clear why this bounce matters

If you look at the chart shared by Michaël, TAO has been stuck in a brutal grind down for a while. Lower highs, weak rallies, sellers in control, it’s basically been the same story for months. Every time the TAO price tried to recover, it got slapped back down.

But now it’s sitting in a zone that actually matters. That green band on the chart marks a major demand area, roughly in the $160–$190 range, where buyers have stepped in multiple times before. And this time was no different. TAO dipped deep into that zone, tagging levels near $170–$175, before snapping back higher.

A strong bounce upwards on $TAO.

I think that the impact of the halving will have a positive impact on the price going forwards.

As the AI hype will slightly go down, more and more people will start to realize that the connection between crypto AI is a strong narrative and… pic.twitter.com/piGhfqjcAd

— Michaël van de Poppe (@CryptoMichNL) February 17, 2026

The rebound has already pushed the TAO price back toward $189–$192, which is a pretty sharp move for an asset that’s been trending lower for months.

You can also see the long wick into support and the quick recovery right after. That’s usually what it looks like when sell pressure finally starts getting absorbed instead of continuing endlessly lower.

This doesn’t confirm a full trend reversal yet, but it does tell us something important: the downside is no longer as easy as it was, and bulls are finally defending key levels again.

The halving has quietly changed the setup

One of the biggest shifts for TAO happened back in December 2025, when the network went through its first halving. That cut daily token issuance in half, meaning fewer new TAO tokens are hitting the market each day. 

When supply tightens like that, price doesn’t need nonstop hype to move higher. Demand just needs to stay steady, and suddenly the math starts leaning in the bulls’ favor. That’s part of why the TAO price is starting to feel more interesting again right here.

Where does TAO go from here?

Right now, TAO is sitting at an interesting turning point. The TAO price has bounced hard from a major support floor, supply is tighter after the halving, and the AI-crypto narrative still carries weight even if the hype cycle cools down.

The next question is simple: does this bounce turn into something real, or does TAO just form another lower high and roll over again? For now, that support zone is the line in the sand. As long as TAO holds above it, the recovery structure stays alive. 

CoinCodex’s 1-month TAO price prediction sees the token moving toward $144.63 in the near term. That would place the TAO price back closer to its broader support zone after this rebound.

Source:: Bittensor Price Prediction: How Will TAO React if the AI Hype Cools Off?