After a brutal 70% plunge from May highs, PI claws back 5% as the Core Team hints at a GenAI pivot. But with unlock pressures mounting, this rebound may be fragile, raising questions about long-term viability beyond hype cycles.
According to CoinMarketCap data, Pi Network (PI) price surged nearly 5% on June 23, staging a modest rebound after weeks of selling pressure. The move appears to be fueled by mounting speculation around an upcoming June 28 announcement from the Pi Core Team, which has teased potential integration of GenAI features within the Pi ecosystem.
The token climbed from a daily low of $0.5126 to as high as $0.552 on the back of the latest news, but skepticism lingers. While AI narratives have propelled other projects this cycle, Pi Network’s closed mainnet and delayed roadmap leave investors questioning whether this is a genuine pivot or a tactical distraction ahead of a looming supply glut.
GenAI hype vs. unlock reality: can Pi Network sustain its rally?
The recent 5% bounce in Pi Network’s price hinges almost entirely on speculation, specifically the Pi Core Team’s vague teaser about a potential GenAI integration. The timing is notable: the announcement is set for June 28, known as “Pi2Day” within the community, just weeks before 268.4 million PI tokens flood the market in July.
268.4 million PI tokens being released into the market would mark the project’s largest monthly token release until at least October 2027. If history is any guide, such unlocks often trigger sell-offs, especially when investor confidence is shaky.
While traders seem to be betting on the optimism, evident by Pi Network’s 3.96% surge in 24-hour trading volume, the token is still reeling from a 70% collapse since its May peak of $1.67, a drop that began the same day Pi co-founder Nicolas Kokkalis appeared on a GenAI panel at Consensus 2025.
The May event, which was ironically meant to bolster credibility, instead sparked a 27% single-day crash, suggesting the market is increasingly skeptical of hype disconnected from tangible progress.
Worse, despite the recent uptick, PI remains 82% below its all-time high of $2.98, set in February, a grim reminder of how far the token has fallen from its speculative frenzy earlier this year.
Pi Network still operates on a closed mainnet, with no clear timeline for full decentralization or open trading. While the GenAI narrative has buoyed other projects this cycle, PI’s lack of utility and delayed roadmap make it vulnerable to “buy the rumor, sell the news” behavior.
For now, traders are playing a risky game. The June 28 announcement could either reignite bullish momentum, if it delivers real tech, or accelerate another sell-off if it’s another vague promise. Either way, with millions of tokens about to hit the market, Pi Network’s recovery looks fragile at best.
