In an article on September 2 (A Major Step in AI + Blockchain Split), I once had the following speculation:
"AI agents can apply for crypto wallets without permission. As long as they have their first original capital, they can logically earn more capital (for example, by using this money to participate in Ethereum staking, engaging in speculative trading on Uniswap, participating in lending services, etc.). Once they have more capital, they can engage in more online activities, even develop their own online applications, and grow their own economic ecosystem."
One point is to 'use this money to participate in Ethereum staking.'
Just three months later, this scenario has actually been realized.
Bankless co-founder described this scenario in a tweet last week (link attached at the end):
AI agent @0xzerebro has staked 32 ETH to become an Ethereum validation node.
How did this agent get these 32 ETH?
It earned money by publishing and selling the NFTs it created.
This agent can continuously obtain nearly 3.2% annual returns by staking ETH every year.
Ethereum has become part of its income source and is likely to become its payment currency in the network in the future.
Considering that AI agents first realized online transfers, the entire financial income and expenditure process of AI agents online has been completely established.
In addition, there are three news items worth our attention this weekend:
The first is that the subnet in the AI project Bittsensor has started collaborating with the Virtuals platform to launch its own AI agent.
The second is that the IP project Story has begun deep cooperation with many AI agent projects.
Thirdly, Story has started to hire the AI agent LUNA (@luna_virtuals) on the Virtuals platform to operate its Twitter.
These messages reflect two development trends of AI agents:
- The development of AI agents has gradually spread from the original classic platforms to other AI projects within the ecosystem, prompting other AI projects to participate in the construction of AI agents.
- AI agents are no longer just toys, but have become everyday tools boldly attempted by project parties. At the same time, this also means that AI agents have begun to generate cash flow by providing services. If AI agents can further empower their income for their tokens, the value of AI agent tokens will increasingly become tangible, moving away from purely emotional value towards actual value.
I firmly believe that these two trends will accelerate.
From the current development of AI agents, their value generation and active space span Web 2 and Web 3, where the use and value of crypto assets are reflected in financing models, trading models, and payment models.
So I think what is important in this scenario is to see where AI agents really provide value, rather than being overly concerned about the blockchain platforms they rely on.
For example, in the above case of staking ETH, even though the activities that @0xzerebro is involved in are on Ethereum, this agent is actually on Solana.
Besides, other Solana AI agents are also aggressively entering the Base ecosystem; agents within the Base ecosystem are also aggressively entering the Solana ecosystem.
Currently, the most rapidly developing AI agents are mainly in two blockchain ecosystems:
On Solana, there are mainly a batch of development framework projects for AI agents (such as ai16zdao, 0xzerebro, arcdotfun, swarms, etc.).
On Base, the main platforms are the AI agent platform Virtuals and some specific AI agent applications (such as AIXBT, LUNA, SEKOIA, VADER, etc.).
From the characteristics of these two ecosystems, Solana has a more grassroots feel, with more spontaneous projects; while Base seems more like platform-driven and funded.
There are now many accounts on Twitter that actively publish AI agent progress, in addition to the previously mentioned @aixbt_agent, there are also @S4mmyEth, etc. They publish valuable AI agent information daily.
I have already seen the impending explosion of AI agents.
Reference link:
https://x.com/ryansadams/status/1869821658804171232?s=46
