The Age of AI Agents
Why a blockchain-driven future is inevitable
Published on Nov 21, 2024
Imagine a world where your AI agent seamlessly manages your day-to-day tasks, from paying for streaming subscriptions to making strategic investments. This isn’t science fiction—it’s the trajectory we’re heading towards. As AI agents grow more sophisticated, their ability to transact autonomously on behalf of users will redefine the economy. But here’s the critical piece: for these agents to operate securely, transparently, and efficiently, they’ll need blockchain technology as their backbone.
This convergence of AI and blockchain signals a future where all assets will inevitably move on-chain, transforming the way we interact with value.
AI Agents in Action: From Memecoins to Digital Assets
One of the most fascinating public test cases for autonomous AI agents is Truth Terminal, a Twitter account managed by an AI agent that has evangelised the memecoin Goatseus Maximus. Despite its often incoherent tweets, the agent has successfully driven attention and growth for the coin. This represents a new, intriguing phase of AI involvement in digital economies.
The logical next step is AI agents creating their own assets, such as memecoins, and fully managing their lifecycles—design, launch, and evangelism. While memecoins remain volatile and speculative, this progression could eventually lead to AI agents managing proper on-chain digital assets, whether created autonomously or in collaboration with humans.
The Tokenisation of Everything: The Path to On-Chain Assets
The future of on-chain assets extends far beyond cryptocurrency. Traditional finance is already exploring tokenising assets like debt, credit, private equity, and real estate. Tokenised real estate, for instance, makes property ownership more accessible—fractional ownership allows people to buy small portions of high-value assets rather than the entire property.
As this concept evolves, even unconventional assets could move on-chain. Consider the case of a collector who tokenised their Supreme clothing collection. After professional appraisal and secure storage, the owner took out a loan against the 1.1M collection through Arcade.xyz. (You can read up about this here). This demonstrates the versatility of blockchain in turning tangible assets into liquid, tradeable tokens.
In the long term, anything with value—properties, collectibles, or even intellectual property—will need to exist on-chain. Blockchain will serve as the infrastructure for managing, transacting, and verifying ownership, paving the way for an AI-powered, decentralised economy.
AI Agents and Microtransactions: Revolutionising Blockchain UX
AI agents will eliminate much of the friction inherent in today’s blockchain experiences. By interacting directly with smart contracts, AI agents can abstract away clunky user interfaces. Tasks such as signing transactions, finding optimal prices, and navigating decentralised exchanges (DEXs) could be executed autonomously and seamlessly.
This capability goes beyond simple microtransactions. AI agents will optimise complex processes, such as portfolio management, supply chain logistics, and even governance voting. By leveraging real-time on-chain data, AI agents will perform tasks faster and with greater accuracy than humans.
From Assistants to Autonomous Managers
The first wave of AI agents will likely act as assistants, executing specific tasks based on user instructions. For example, a principal (owner) might instruct their agent to buy a particular asset during a price surge. Over time, these agents will evolve to make more autonomous decisions, managing entire portfolios or negotiating contracts on their owner’s behalf.
The landscape will feature both bespoke personal agents, customised for individual needs, and off-the-shelf AI-as-a-service agents designed for specialised functions like trading or governance. These agents will improve continuously, adapting to their environments and optimising their users’ interactions with digital assets.
The Risks and Regulation of Autonomous AI Agents
With innovation comes new risks. One immediate challenge is the issue of accountability: if an AI agent performs a transaction, who is responsible for its actions? The solution lies in maintaining a clear link between AI agents and their principals. This could be achieved through systems where principals authorise their agents’ activities and retain full oversight.
Such systems could involve user-friendly interfaces, such as chat-style terminals that log all interactions between the AI agent and its principal. While this introduces a layer of UX complexity, it’s far simpler than the current state of blockchain user experience and would provide critical accountability.
Preparing for an AI-Driven Future
At Tokenise, we see this future unfolding and are taking proactive steps to prepare for it. Our platform is being developed to be “AI agent-friendly,” ensuring seamless integration with the next generation of autonomous agents. While details of these developments are still under wraps, our commitment is clear: we aim to ensure that Tokenise assets are fully compatible with an AI-driven on-chain economy.
By creating robust, transactable on-chain assets and refining tokenomics to align with AI agent capabilities, Tokenise is laying the groundwork for a more connected, efficient digital economy.
AI and Blockchain in Harmony
The convergence of AI and blockchain will accelerate milestones such as: All assets being tokenised and available on-chain. AI agents becoming ubiquitous and easy to use. Blockchain optimising AI through immutable, transparent data while AI agents enhance blockchain adoption through intelligent automation. This symbiosis will lead to a more seamless and equitable digital economy, where the inefficiencies of traditional systems give way to decentralised intelligence.
A Decentralised Destiny
The rise of AI agents marks the next major evolution in how we interact with value. Their reliance on blockchain for secure, transparent transactions will drive the mass adoption of on-chain assets. Whether it’s real estate, collectibles, or equities, the shift to a blockchain-based infrastructure is inevitable.
Tokenise is proud to be at the forefront of this revolution, helping projects build sustainable, innovative ecosystems that align with the demands of an AI-driven world. The future is here—are you ready to embrace it?
Daniel Tauhore
Founder of Tokenise.