With the cryptocurrency market turning its attention to altcoins, investors face a flood of options, making it challenging to identify the best picks.
This renewed focus on altcoins is largely driven by Ethereum’s (ETH) sustained bullish run as the cryptocurrency attempts to establish itself above the $4,000 support zone.
To help pinpoint potential winners for the second half of 2025, Finbold consulted OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which highlighted the following two assets.
Optimism (OP)
According to ChatGPT, Optimism (OP), a Layer-2 scaling solution for Ethereum, shows strong growth potential. The model cited cryptocurrency analyst Michaël van de Poppe, who projects a potential 280–380% rally within months, noting that an OP breakout may be imminent.
ChatGPT emphasized that Optimism is gaining traction as Ethereum’s climb above $4,000 drives more DeFi users toward cost-efficient Layer-2 platforms.
Institutional interest in scaling solutions and the rollout of Optimism’s ambitious “Superchain” vision could further accelerate adoption. However, competition from rivals like Arbitrum and Base, along with the risk of a broader market pullback, remain key factors to watch.
At press time, OP was trading at $0.79, up 0.8% in the past 24 hours and over 20% in the past week.
Chainlink (LINK)
For its second pick, ChatGPT selected Chainlink (LINK), the market leader in decentralized data feeds and cross-chain interoperability. The model noted that LINK is riding a surge in demand tied to tokenized real-world assets, a sector expected to expand rapidly in late 2025.
ChatGPT pointed to LINK’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) as a key driver, unlocking new liquidity flows across multiple blockchains, with major banks and enterprises exploring integration.
Historically, LINK has posted strong gains in the later stages of bull cycles, though slower RWA adoption or competing oracle solutions could limit upside potential.
Over the past week, LINK has gained more than 33% to reach $22.12, with a 1% rally in the past 24 hours.
In conclusion, ChatGPT stated that while both assets face sector-specific challenges, OP and LINK combine momentum, adoption drivers, and market positioning that could make them standout performers by year-end.
Featured image via Shutterstock
