Elon Musk has reignited excitement among social media fans by announcing plans to revive Vine, the once-popular short-form video platform, but with a futuristic twist: the comeback will be "in AI form." The announcement, made on July 24, 2025, sent shockwaves through both the social media and cryptocurrency worlds, sparking speculation about what an AI-powered Vine might look like and triggering a dramatic rally in the VINE token, a cryptocurrency inspired by the original platform.
Vine first launched in 2012 and quickly rose to prominence as a pioneering app for six-second looping videos. Its simplicity and viral potential attracted a massive user base—peaking at around 200 million active users. The platform became a launching pad for many influencers and celebrities, including singer Shawn Mendes and boxer Jake Paul. Twitter acquired Vine in 2013 for an estimated $30 million, but despite its popularity, the platform struggled with monetization and creator retention. By late 2016, Twitter began phasing out Vine, disabling uploads and eventually shutting down the app completely on January 17, 2017.
Fast forward to 2025, and Musk’s announcement on X (formerly Twitter) that "We’re bringing back Vine, but in AI form" sparked immediate buzz. While details remain scarce, the reference to AI hints at a potential reinvention of the platform, possibly integrating artificial intelligence to generate or curate content. This aligns with Musk’s ongoing fascination with AI technologies, including his recent ventures into AI-driven avatars and assistants within X.
The news had an instant impact on the VINE token, a cryptocurrency launched by Vine’s original creator, Rus Yusupov, as a nod to the platform’s legacy. The token, which had languished with low value and volatility since its launch, surged by 62% within minutes after Musk’s tweet, climbing from $0.03 to $0.07. This rally was a remarkable recovery from the token’s previous steep decline, having lost over 90% of its value from a peak of $0.40 earlier in the year.
Despite the surge, analysts urge caution. The trading volumes behind the rally were relatively modest, around $68 million, and the token’s activity was concentrated on exchanges like LBank, Gate, and Raydium, where large holders—whales—can manipulate prices. Indeed, some top traders capitalized on the pump by selling into the spike and rebuying at lower prices, contributing to the token’s rapid reversal within an hour of the initial surge. The VINE token remains primarily a meme token, held by over 95,000 users, and it currently offers no concrete utility or direct connection to the forthcoming Vine relaunch.
The hype surrounding Musk’s announcement also inspired a wave of copycat meme tokens, including the newly created vAIn token. Launched immediately after Musk’s statement, vAIn trades for less than a penny and suffers from extreme illiquidity, relying solely on decentralized liquidity pools. Its supply has been largely sniped and stored in related wallets, making it a risky proposition for investors.
For many, the revival of Vine represents more than just a nostalgic nod; it is seen as a potential challenger to TikTok, which has dominated the short-form video space in recent years. Some speculate that Vine’s AI integration could provide a unique edge, perhaps by automating content creation or personalizing user experiences in innovative ways. However, the specifics of how AI will be incorporated remain unclear, leaving room for speculation.
Musk’s history with Vine dates back to his acquisition of Twitter in 2022 for $40 billion. Since then, he has teased the idea of bringing Vine back multiple times. In October 2022, he even conducted a poll on X asking users if they wanted Vine to return, with 69% voting in favor. In 2023, Musk reaffirmed his commitment by stating, "No question that we need to bring back an even better version of Vine," and by 2024, he acknowledged that the company was "looking into it."
The original Vine’s demise was largely attributed to Twitter’s inability to monetize the platform effectively and support its creators financially. Many of Vine’s stars migrated to other platforms like YouTube, Instagram Reels, and eventually TikTok, which capitalized on the short-video format with greater success and innovation.
Social media experts and creators are watching Musk’s move with interest but also skepticism. Some fans on X praised the idea, with comments like "AI + short-form video = future of content," while others cautioned that Musk has a tendency to over-promise and under-deliver. Popular YouTuber MrBeast chimed in on the conversation, highlighting the challenge of competing with TikTok and the need for a "deep moat"—a unique feature or advantage that cannot be easily copied by competitors.
As Musk and his team at X hire more engineers to develop AI avatars and personalities, it’s plausible that Vine’s AI incarnation could blend these technologies to create a new kind of interactive, dynamic content platform. Such a move would mark a significant shift from Vine’s original user-generated content model toward a more AI-centric approach.
While the exact timeline for Vine’s return remains uncertain, the announcement has already stirred excitement and speculation across social media and crypto communities alike. Whether Vine can reclaim its place in the crowded short-form video market—and whether the AI angle will provide the breakthrough it needs—remains to be seen. For now, Musk’s bold declaration has reopened a chapter on a beloved platform, promising a new era that blends nostalgia with cutting-edge technology.
