In a series of updates, Shiba Inu lead ambassador Shytoshi Kusama has outlined the imminent launch of a new AI-focused project, while on-chain data reveals a massive whale transaction placing pressure on SHIB price.
On May 1, 2026, Kusama posted on X: “Next week, God willing, the wait list for the project will go live. Still working through a few bugs.” The post summarized his earlier discussions on spiritual mysteries and artificial intelligence, indicating that the technology/AI platform is in its final development stage. Kusama had previously teased a shift to a “new AI legacy system” and changed his X location to “Backlog, Marketing and Positioning.”
Earlier this year, the lead ambassador revealed work on a relationship-focused AI application. The community now awaits the launch of the waitlist, expected to benefit the entire SHIB ecosystem.
Separately, Shiba Inu has seen expanded real-world utility. Rakuten Wallet in Japan added SHIB trading against the yen and the ability to convert Rakuten Points directly into the token. Although SHIB cannot be used directly at checkout, it can be converted into Rakuten Cash, accepted across over five million merchant locations via Rakuten Pay. In addition, SBI VC Trade’s “Rent Coin” lending program now supports Shiba Inu alongside BTC, ETH, XRP, and SOL.
On the market side, a long-standing SHIB whale sold 800 billion tokens worth approximately $4.9 million. The wallet originally entered with just $13,760 and has since accumulated gains exceeding $660 million. It still holds roughly 99.27 trillion tokens, keeping it among the most influential positions in circulation. The sale did not strain market liquidity, but traders are monitoring exchange reserves — which have risen above 83 trillion tokens — as a potential signal of accelerating distribution pressure.
SHIB remains range-bound between support at $0.0000060 and resistance at $0.0000072, reflecting weak conviction from both buyers and sellers. A break below support could expose the next level near $0.0000048.
