Can 2026 turn out to be a devastating year for the biggest meme coins?
The meme coin sector has been deeply impacted by the latest crypto collapse, with its market capitalization plummeting below $40 billion.
We consulted four of the most popular AI-powered chatbots about whether the crisis will continue and specifically asked whether Dogecoin (DOGE) and Shiba Inu (SHIB) could crash to $0 sometime this year.
The Chances are Small
According to ChatGPT, there is a theoretical possibility, although it is extremely doubtful, for the biggest meme coins (in terms of market cap) to nosedive to zero.
It reminded that the tokens trade actively on major exchanges and have millions of holders, and that is unlikely to change in 2026. At the same time, given current market conditions, ChatGPT suggested that a deeper crash could occur in the following months.
“DOGE and SHIB are among the most widely held cryptocurrencies in the world. Millions of wallets hold these assets, many with no intention of selling at extremely low prices. This creates a distributed supply base, reducing the odds of a total demand vacuum. Even during prolonged bear markets, a subset of holders continues to transact, stake (where applicable), or speculate,” it stated.
Grok – the chatbot integrated within X – claimed a collapse to $0 can’t be ruled out in extreme scenarios. However, it predicted that DOGE and SHIB can stabilize later in 2026 if Bitcoin (BTC) rebounds and hype returns.
“DOGE might hover around $0.10–$0.15, and SHIB could aim to “delete a zero” (reach $0.00001+) with burns and upgrades,” it forecasted.
Not a Chance at All
Google’s Gemini explained that for a cryptocurrency to hit zero, it must have zero buyers and be delisted from all leading exchanges. It stated that such a development is unlikely for several reasons.
First, Dogecoin has made significant progress in the past years, and there are even approved spot DOGE ETFs in the US. It is also Elon Musk’s favorite cryptocurrency, while Shiba Inu has evolved into a complex ecosystem with a vast and devoted community.
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Perplexity predicted that smaller meme coins may plummet to $0 in 2026, but it won’t be DOGE or SHIB. The chatbot even envisioned a potential spike to $0.50 and even $1 for Dogecoin in the coming months should hype return. It outlined a less bullish prediction for SHIB, assuming that its price may pump by a maximum of 20% this year.
