AI agents will be primary users of blockchain, NEAR co-founder says

Illia Polosukhin, co-founder of NEAR, predicts a significant shift where artificial intelligence becomes the primary interface for online interactions, including cryptocurrency. This would abstract away complex blockchain elements like wallets, explorers, and transaction hashes, with AI agents interacting directly with protocols as the backend.

AI as the New Operating System

Polosukhin believes AI will function as the new operating system for the internet, handling tasks such as executing payments, managing assets, coordinating services, and participating in governance systems on behalf of users. He suggests that crypto's lack of a consumer-facing "AI moment" is because blockchain technology is inherently financial and will serve as the neutral financial rails beneath these AI platforms, providing settlement, ownership, verifiability, and programmable incentives.

Critique of Current Crypto and AI Approaches

He criticizes the crypto industry's current focus on speculative tokens and memecoins, arguing that this approach, along with rampant scams, is damaging the industry's reputation and alienating AI researchers. Polosukhin also points out that decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) have largely failed due to a lack of clear problem definition, suggesting that governance tools, including AI-assisted voting, are only effective when tied to specific economic or coordination needs.

Future Convergence: Infrastructure Over Apps

The long-term convergence of AI and crypto is expected to be more about infrastructure than token launches. As AI systems increasingly act autonomously for users, they will require trusted execution, privacy, and programmable financial coordination. Polosukhin posits that blockchain's role will be to provide neutral markets and infrastructure, becoming the invisible settlement layer that AI agents rely on, rather than being a direct user-facing application.