If computational power is the blood of AI, then smart contracts are the soul of AI.
Written by: Anderson Sima, Executive Editor of Foresight News
If there can only be one keyword in 2025, I would choose 'AI Agent'.
On January 6, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated that he is convinced he has mastered the method for building AGI (Artificial General Intelligence), predicting that by 2025 we may see the first AI agents 'join the workforce' and substantially change business output.
The author believes this is not alarmism but a new chapter in AI progress.
The Birth and Transcendence of AI Agents
In the past six months, with the rapid development of artificial intelligence and blockchain technology, AI Agents have gradually become a hot sector in the cryptocurrency field. These autonomous entities, developed based on AI technology, can simulate human cognitive and decision-making processes, demonstrating high intelligence and adaptability in perception, analysis, and action. Although current AI Agents are still far from human-level general intelligence, the emergence of AI Agents will redefine the relationship between humans and technology.
Current large models (like ChatGPT) perform excellently in language processing and content generation, but their applications still have significant limitations. The core design of large models is to generate probabilistic optimal solutions based on massive data training, meaning they are more like powerful 'language engines' capable of answering questions and providing suggestions, but unable to truly make proactive decisions and execute actions. For example, in complex business management or emergency response scenarios, large models typically cannot surpass the role of 'suggestion provider', while AI Agents can quickly devise and execute plans based on dynamic environments and preset goals.
Taking health care as an example, large models can recommend potential treatment suggestions based on the symptoms described by users. However, in emergency situations such as cardiac arrest, large models cannot assess the patient's condition based on sensor data and immediately control medical devices to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation like AI Agents can.
In contrast, the capabilities of AI Agents transcend the existing large models, no longer limited to 'data processing' but able to complete a complete closed loop from 'perception' to 'action'. For example, in the field of autonomous driving, AI Agents can analyze road conditions in real-time, integrate traffic rules and vehicle status, decide on the best driving route, and dynamically adjust driving strategies; in finance, AI Agents can track global market information in real-time and dynamically adjust investment portfolios to maximize returns.
AI Agent Code of Conduct: Smart Contracts
When AI Agents truly enter the above scenarios, they should be called 'AI Beings', a new species created by 'Human Beings', with computational power providing the energy for their actions. So the question arises, how should the behavioral guidelines for such powerful entities be defined? My answer is 'smart contracts'.
Smart contracts, as carriers of cryptocurrencies, are essentially agreements expressed in code form. They achieve the following characteristics through blockchain technology:
Decentralization: Breaking free from the constraints of traditional institutions.
Immutability: Ensuring the authenticity of transactions and records.
Traceability: Providing transparent information flow for all participants.
Unlike traditional contracts, the execution of smart contracts does not require intermediaries, relying solely on rules preset in code. This not only enhances efficiency but also significantly reduces the potential for human intervention and loss of control.
If computational power is the blood of AI, then smart contracts are the soul of AI.
AI Agents must adhere to established rules and ethical guidelines when executing tasks. Cryptocurrency smart contracts provide a natural solution for this. For example, in a decentralized logistics network, AI Agents can perform automatic transportation scheduling and cost settlement based on blockchain records, ensuring transparency in resource distribution and transactions.
Imagine a decentralized education platform centered around cryptocurrency. AI Agents can help students develop personalized learning plans and intelligently allocate cryptocurrency rewards based on learning outcomes, encouraging continuous learning. Students' grades, learning processes, and reward records are all stored on-chain, avoiding biases and human interference present in traditional education systems.
One of the major attractions of the combination of AI Agents and Crypto lies in its perfect integration of game theory.
Game theory is essentially the science of decision-making, studying the strategy choices and equilibria of various parties in interest games. The ecosystem of cryptocurrencies is the best stage for the application of game theory. The interactions among miners, investors, and developers are essentially a multi-party game, while blockchain protocols guide the behavior of all parties through mechanism design. For example, in the Bitcoin network, miners compete for computational power to earn rewards, while protocol rules ensure the network's security and decentralization.
The combination of AI Agents and Crypto can further enhance decision-making capabilities and collaboration efficiency. For instance, in future smart cities, AI Agents could be widely used in resource allocation, traffic management, and other areas. Through cryptocurrency incentive mechanisms and game theory models, AI Agents can find optimal solutions between different goals:
In energy management, AI Agents can negotiate the priority of energy use and cost allocation to ensure supply and demand balance.
In international trade, AI Agents can complete real-time settlements based on cryptocurrencies and smart contracts, avoiding delays and high fees associated with traditional banking systems.
Assuming a complex AI Agent system 'Jarvis' emerges in the future. As a 'digital assistant', it can coordinate multi-level cooperation among individuals, enterprises, and governments. 'Jarvis' operates based on a transparent and dynamically adjusted cryptocurrency system, where users can earn rewards by contributing data or services, and 'Jarvis' can also use cryptocurrency to purchase necessary resources, achieving a closed-loop economy.
The rise of AI Agents and the popularity of cryptocurrencies will jointly drive the arrival of a brand new era of collaboration:
Collaboration between Humans and AI: AI Agents become intelligent assistants for individuals and businesses, taking on tedious tasks and allowing humans to focus on creative work.
Collaboration between People: Cryptocurrencies ensure fairness and transparency in cooperation, incentivizing more people to participate in collaboration.
Collaboration between AIs: AI Agents achieve more efficient collaboration through resource sharing and knowledge exchange via cryptocurrency.
Potential Risks of AI Agent + Crypto
On one hand, while the combination of cryptocurrencies and AI Agents is theoretically feasible, the technical implementation still faces many challenges. For example:
Security Issues: While blockchain technology boasts decentralization and immutability, the existence of vulnerabilities in smart contracts can be exploited by malicious actors, leading to financial losses or system failures.
Scalability Issues: Current mainstream blockchains (like Ethereum) have limited performance in handling large-scale transactions and executing smart contracts, which may become a bottleneck for the widespread application of AI Agents.
On the other hand, once the behavioral rules of AI Agents are solidified through cryptocurrency smart contracts, they may lack flexibility and struggle to address complex ethical issues. For example:
Attribution of Responsibility: If an AI Agent causes a loss due to the execution of a smart contract, should the responsibility lie with the developer of the AI Agent, the designer of the smart contract, or the user?
Privacy Issues: AI Agents need to process large amounts of data in real-time, and how this data is stored, used, and shared may lead to serious privacy controversies.
Additionally, the introduction of cryptocurrency may exacerbate the differentiation within the economic system. Once AI Agents are combined with cryptocurrencies, the party with technological advantages may further consolidate its dominant position in economic activities. Individuals and small to medium-sized enterprises excluded from the wave of AI technology and cryptocurrencies may be marginalized due to their inability to bear technological costs, thus exacerbating social inequality.
The combination of AI Agents and cryptocurrencies is the embryonic form of a technological revolution. Its potential lies in enhancing efficiency and fairness through regulated and automated approaches, driving changes in collaborative models. However, this technological combination is not a panacea; its complexity and risks require us to remain cautious in technological development and social application. On one hand, we should actively explore its value; on the other hand, we must be vigilant against the inequalities and uncertainties that technology may bring.