The era in which AI directly engages in economic activities is coming

The Solana Foundation is positioning the network as a core infrastructure in the 'agentic Internet' era, where AI systems, not humans, lead economic activities. At the Digital Asset Summit (DAS) held in New York, Solana Foundation Chief Product Officer Vibhu Norby emphasized, “AI is not just an industry, but a platform transformation that affects all industries, including cryptocurrency.”

Solana Network has reportedly already processed 15 million on-chain payments originating from AI agents. This primarily involves machine-to-machine transactions, and the programmable nature of cryptocurrency payments makes them attractive to AI agents.

Stablecoin is the default payment method for AI agents

CPO Norbi predicted, “Stablecoins will become the basic means used by AI agents to pay for computing resources.” In particular, it was predicted that AI agent payments could fundamentally change the monetization method of the entire Internet. This is because ultra-small payments of less than 1 cent and usage-based billing, which are impossible with existing financial systems, become possible.

The Solana Foundation argues that the network's performance-driven design provides a competitive advantage in this new paradigm. CPO Norbi said, “AI agents are cool-headed and calculating machines, and there is no such thing as religious blind faith in cryptocurrency. When you ask agents about the best way to pay with cryptocurrency, Solana usually comes out at the top.”

AI breaks down the entry barrier to blockchain development

Meanwhile, the development of AI technology is also breaking down barriers to developer entry that have existed for a long time. Current development tools are making it easier for developers and machines to build across diverse ecosystems. In response to this, Solana developers are directly developing AI systems.

CPO Norvi said, “What agents like are APIs, documentation, and skills,” and introduced initiatives such as machine-readable “skill files” and an AI-first developer platform.

Where did the convergence of blockchain and AI begin?

The combination of blockchain and AI began in earnest with the generative AI boom in 2023. Initially, it started in limited areas such as NFT creation or smart contract audit, but entered a new phase in 2024 with the emergence of the concept of AI agents that autonomously execute transactions.

In particular, Solana is aiming to dominate the AI ​​agent payment market based on its high-speed network characteristics that can process thousands of transactions per second and low fees. While competing networks such as Ethereum are struggling with scalability issues, Solana has been focusing on building AI-friendly infrastructure.

Future outlook [AI analysis]

According to Norvi CPO's forecast, a dramatic change in user behavior is expected. “The primary way people interact with cryptocurrencies will be through their agents,” he predicted. “95 to 99 percent of all transactions will occur in large-scale language models (LLMs).”

If this trend becomes a reality, it is highly likely that the competitive landscape of the cryptocurrency market will be reorganized. This is because AI agents will choose networks purely based on efficiency and cost, without emotion or brand loyalty. The network that has the upper hand in performance and fees is likely to become the central axis of the AI ​​agent economy.

However, regulatory uncertainty and the lack of a legal framework for AI agents' autonomous financial transactions may act as variables for future growth. It is time to discuss responsibility for and supervision of AI-led economic activities.