AI Agents Transact on Coinbase: A New Era for Crypto?

• Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong highlighted the importance of AI and crypto.
• Since AI cannot have bank accounts, integration of cryptocurrencies is imperative.
• Integration of AI and crypto will get “useful work done” for their users.

The crypto world and artificial intelligence are merging, and the potential seems limitless. Brian Armstrong, the head of major digital asset trading platform Coinbase, says AI agents using crypto could be a big step towards “AIs getting useful work done.”

Armstrong explained, through a lengthy post on X , that while AI agents can’t have bank accounts, they can have crypto wallets. This opens up new possibilities, giving them the ability to transact with humans, merchants, or other AIs using USDC on Base. These transactions are instant, global, and free.

“AI agents cannot get bank accounts, but they can get crypto wallets. They can now use USDC on Base to transact with humans, merchants, or other AIs. Those transactions are instant, global, and free.”

Armstrong believes that combining AI and crypto will help users accomplish real tasks because AI currently faces limitations that prevent it from transacting to get the resources it needs. AI agents don’t have a way to pay for things like hotels or trips, and they can’t access services like AWS, Github, or Vercel.

He also pointed out that AI can’t get past paywalls, but with crypto, AI agents can do a lot more. Armstrong mentioned “MPC Wallets from Coinbase Developer Platform (CDP)” which allows AI model developers to easily integrate crypto wallets.

Coinbase is also working on helping companies bring solutions to customers that would allow them to checkout from platforms using crypto and AI. An X user pointed out that “onchain” would be the next “online” and onch’AI’n would be the next onchain.

Another X user questioned the taxing of such services that use both crypto and AI in the United States, a country where crypto regulation is already taking shape in the form of numerous bills pending with the lawmakers. As per Coingecko data , AI tokens have already achieved a market capitalization of $22.3 billion while the trading volume of these altcoins stands at $1.18 billion. The top five AI tokens include Near Protocol (NEAR), Internet Computer (ICP), Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (FET), Bittensor (TAO), and Render (RENDER).