Advancements in artificial intelligence are expected to create numerous new use cases for public blockchains, ranging from transactions by AI agents to verifiable digital records. This perspective was shared by Zach Pandl, head of research at Grayscale.
Source: Grayscale.Pandl identified that one of the most apparent sources of new demand will come from payments. Digital assistants performing tasks on behalf of users will require programmable wallets to autonomously manage and spend funds.
He believes this will lead to a need for infrastructure supporting micropayments, cross-border transactions, automated trading, and risk management. Pandl highlighted Ethereum and Solana as suitable networks for these purposes, as their open ledgers facilitate programmable transactions around the clock.
Another area of focus is the need for verifiable records of AI operations. As companies delegate more responsibilities to algorithms, they will need to document which models, data, and rules were employed in decision-making processes. According to Pandl, public blockchains can serve as an independent ledger for this information.
This mechanism could also be utilized for identifying individuals and digital agents, as well as maintaining their reputations. Pandl cited the World project as an example.
The third factor he mentioned is the concentration of computational resources, capital, and control over AI within a limited number of companies. Decentralized networks could provide an alternative, allowing participants to contribute resources and engage in ownership and governance of the infrastructure.
However, the practical benefits of such integration remain a topic of debate. In June, researchers from the IC3 consortium noted that many claims regarding the advantages of blockchain for AI require further validation. For instance, while a record in a distributed ledger can confirm the existence of certain data at a specific time, it does not inherently verify the correctness of the model's operation.
Additionally, back in July, Franklin Templeton identified AI agents as potential drivers for cryptocurrency payments, emphasizing that blockchain could facilitate transactions between autonomous programs without continuous human involvement.