BlackRock Predicts AI Agents Will Use Stablecoins for Computing

BlackRock anticipates that AI agents will soon use stablecoins to acquire computing power and data, highlighting a shift in digital asset adoption.

MarketsBlackRock has forecasted that artificial intelligence (AI) agents will soon utilize stablecoins to purchase their own computing power and data.

BlackRock Identifies Payments as Immediate Opportunity in AI Sector

By James Van Straten, AI Boost|Edited by Oliver Knight43 minutes ago1 min readMake preferred on ShareShare this articleCopy linkX (Twitter)LinkedIn Facebook Email Make preferred on Larry Fink (Bloomberg television)SummaryShow

AI is poised to be a significant catalyst for the adoption of digital assets, according to BlackRock.
Stablecoins are expected to facilitate small, automated payments among machines.
Tokenized computing capacity could eventually be traded or leveraged as collateral, but current markets lack standardization and liquidity.

According to a report from BlackRock, AI could emerge as a primary force driving the uptake of digital assets, as autonomous agents begin to procure services, transfer funds, and acquire computing resources.

The firm emphasizes that AI can deliver “machine-native intelligence,” while digital assets might provide the essential payment and settlement mechanisms that these agents require to execute their functions. For instance, an AI agent could autonomously pay for a data inquiry, book a service, or buy computing capacity without needing human intervention.

Stablecoins are likely to be the first to benefit from this trend due to their stable valuation, making them suitable for service pricing, alongside blockchain networks that enable continuous payments. BlackRock points to the Coinbase x402 protocol as an emerging method for agents to acquire online services, including API calls, while also noting that existing payment systems are evolving to support automated commerce.

The report also mentions the potential for future trading of standardized claims on computing capacity as demand for AI processing surges. BlackRock cites projections that revenue from major cloud services provided by Amazon, Microsoft, and Google could approach approximately $1.1 trillion by 2030.

However, BlackRock cautions that the market for agent payments is still in its infancy, and there are no established liquid markets for standardized computing contracts at this time.

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