Research: AI x Crypto: The Rise of the Agent Economy

This article is a continuation of our exploration of the convergence between AI and blockchain. In this section, we focus on AI Crypto—crypto-native projects integrating AI to create autonomous agents and reshape financial and digital ecosystems.

The second trend shaping the crypto landscape involves crypto-native projects integrating AI to create autonomous agents. These agents are revolutionizing how value is generated and managed across blockchain networks. Emerging by the end of 2024, this phenomenon has rapidly evolved into diverse formats, giving rise to the Agent Economy.

The Early Days

The agent economy gained traction in late 2024 with Truth Terminal, the first viral AI agent funded by a16z. Truth Terminal issued a token, GOAT, which quickly reached a valuation of $500 million to $1 billion. Since then, the agent ecosystem has grown significantly, with over $4 billion in market cap across various agent-driven tokens.

Here are some of the critical advancements shaping this ecosystem:

• AI Agent Launchpads: Platforms like Virtual and CreatorBid facilitating agent and token launches.

• AI Influencers: Agents like Luna who have gone viral on platforms like TikTok.

• Autonomous VC Agents: Investment-focused agents such as ai16z and Sekoia.

• Infrastructure Providers: Core services like Spectral and Wayfinder supporting agent operations.

• Creative Agents: Autonomous creators like Zerebro, generating entire soundtracks.

• Trading and Market Intelligence Agents: Agents like AiXBT and Spectral, offering alpha insights and executing trades autonomously.

The Agent Economy Ecosystem

The agent economy is rapidly taking shape, structured much like traditional blockchain networks, with distinct layers and roles that support the seamless interaction and growth of AI-driven agents.

At the foundation lies the infrastructure layer, comparable to Layer 1 and Layer 2 blockchain protocols. Platforms like Arc and ai16z provide the essential backbone for agents, enabling them to execute tasks autonomously. These platforms handle core functions such as security, scalability, and transaction processing, ensuring agents can operate efficiently in decentralized environments.

Next, there are launchpads, which act as facilitators for both agent and token launches. These platforms, including Virtual and CreatorBid, serve as a gateway for new AI agents to enter the market, helping them attract early users, secure funding, and establish a presence within the ecosystem. By providing structured support, launchpads accelerate the adoption of agent-led projects.

At the top of the ecosystem is the application layer, where the agents themselves perform diverse functions. Much like decentralized applications (dApps) in traditional blockchain networks, these agents operate independently, offering specialized services. For example, AiXBT is designed to provide real-time trading strategies, while Zerebro focuses on creative endeavors, such as generating soundtracks. Some agents are evolving to become highly interactive, capable of responding to user input in real time, while others, like Kumo Bots, execute complex tasks and automation routines autonomously.

The Evolution of AI Agents: Three Phases

We foresee AI agents evolving through three distinct phases:

Phase 1: Human-to-Agent Interaction

This is the current phase, where users control agents to perform tasks. Examples include digital assistants like Alexa and Siri. These interactions are largely task-oriented and limited in scope.

Phase 2: Agent-to-Human Interaction

In this phase, agents proactively act on behalf of users. For example, Kira autonomously executes financial strategies, optimizing for both security and profitability. This phase is gaining momentum in areas where automation delivers immediate payoffs, such as finance.

Phase 3: Agent-to-Agent Networks

The final phase envisions a network of AI agents collaborating independently. These agents will negotiate, trade, and manage complex systems like supply chains without human intervention. Blockchain infrastructure will play a crucial role here by enabling instant settlement, global accessibility, and scalable fund management.

DeFAI: A New Financial Paradigm

Amid the rise of AI agents, a new concept has gained traction: Decentralized Finance for AI (DeFAI). DeFAI merges AI-driven automation with blockchain’s transparent and programmable infrastructure, addressing one of DeFi’s core challenges—its high barrier to entry.

Setting up wallets, navigating protocols, and managing gas fees in DeFi is a complex and intimidating process for newcomers. This complexity has hindered mass adoption. However, with AI, those barriers can be removed entirely. DeFAI enables AI agents to handle tasks such as yield farming, asset transfers, and portfolio management, allowing users to benefit from decentralized finance without having to master its complexities.

DeFAI is set to redefine DeFi through the following key advancements:

1. AI-Driven Interfaces

AI interfaces make DeFi more accessible by simplifying complex operations. Users can now execute transactions and manage assets through intuitive, natural language commands, transforming how they interact with financial platforms.

2. Autonomous DeFi Agents

These agents automate and optimize multi-step financial strategies, handling tasks such as gas fee management, security checks, and protocol safety measures. This eliminates manual intervention, offering users a fully hands-off experience.

3. Research & Communication Agents

Specialized agents continuously monitor and analyze on-chain data, providing real-time insights to users. By delivering actionable intelligence, these agents empower users to make informed investment decisions with greater speed and accuracy.

With DeFAI, decentralized finance becomes simpler, more efficient, and accessible to a broader audience. As AI and blockchain continue to converge, DeFAI will lead the next evolution of financial technology.

Looking Ahead

The fusion of AI and crypto holds immense potential to redefine both industries. Whether through AI-native projects integrating crypto or crypto-native agents adopting AI, this cycle’s explosive growth driver is becoming clear. DeFAI is not just a trend—it’s a new paradigm that will shape the future of decentralized innovation. At Solid, we’re excited to be at the forefront of this revolution.