The synergies between AI and crypto are very promising. In fact, the incoming Trump administration is combining the two sectors into one advisory office.
President-elect is calling it the White House Crypto and AI Czar. Trump’s appointee for the office, former PayPal COO David Sacks, has close ties to payments and crypto.
The AI and crypto brief posed the question, “Are AI agents the future of digital assets?”The Virgin Islands-based crypto exchange for users outside the United States says: Probably so.
The note defines AI agents as decentralized, self-governing, autonomous, and intelligent software programs that can use the blockchain with some of the dexterity of a human.
Their owners can use AI agents for “tasks like transaction execution and wallet management to enhance efficiency and scalability,” the industry brief says. It highlights a recent press page from Stanford University announcing a research partnership with the ai16z-linked Eliza Labs.
“Partnerships like that of Eliza Labs and Stanford Universitys Future Digital Currency Initiative are advancing this intersection, while projects such as AI16z highlight the potential for decentralized, self-governing AI agents to optimize blockchain networks,” the brief says.
Furthermore, the Bitfinex report says, “These AI agents are envisioned to perform tasks such as executing transactions, managing wallets, and optimizing investment strategies, with the potential to streamline operations while introducing new efficiencies.”
But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. The report highlights significant risks and challenges that require “robust safeguards, ethical guidelines, and fail-safes to prevent misuse or exploitation of autonomous agents.”
No fewer than 11 AI-focused, powered, or adjacent cryptocurrencies have already achieved multi-billion dollar market caps. That’s according to data from CoinMarketCap, which lists among these, assets like:
Bittensor (TAO), Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (FET), and AIOZ Network (AIOZ).
Meanwhile, a meme coin, Goatseus Maximus (GOAT), exploded from nothing in October to over $1 per token and a billion-dollar total market cap in November. The rally was due in great measure to two AI agent chatbots inventing a compelling origin story for the coin.
Self-governing, automated AI apps running on smart contract decentralized finance platforms like Ethereum and Solana could add similar value to these ecosystems. As a result, they could attract similar capital and liquidity to back their operations. That would introduce more long-term support for many altcoin prices.