Ethereum Unveils AI Agent, "The Era of Human-Only Payments Is Over"

▲ Ethereum (ETH), Artificial Intelligence (AI) Agent/ChatGPT Generated Image

Ethereum (ETH) is driving a paradigm shift in the digital economy by enabling trust-based commerce between artificial intelligence agents through the new ERC-8004 standard.

According to Cointelegraph on Feb. 21 (local time), AI agents in the crypto market are evolving beyond simple conversational services into independent economic entities capable of paying for services and settling value on their own. Until now, AI agents were often treated as untrusted traffic on the internet, facing restrictions in accessing payment systems and data. However, the ERC-8004 standard introduced on the Ethereum mainnet has broken down these technical barriers, creating an environment where agents can securely conduct commerce without human intervention.

Darius Moukhtarzadeh, research strategist at 21Shares, emphasized in a report that identity, reputation, and verification systems are essential for AI agents to participate in economic activities. ERC-8004 supports agent operations by establishing three lightweight registries: identification, reputation, and verification. The identification registry provides censorship-resistant agent identifiers, the reputation registry measures trustworthiness through signed customer feedback, and the verification registry offers a pathway for third parties to validate an agent’s work when high levels of trust are required.

The results following the standard’s introduction have been notable. Within just two weeks of ERC-8004 going live on the Ethereum mainnet in late January 2026, 24,000 AI agents were registered on the network. The standard has also been deployed on major Layer 2 networks such as Base, Arbitrum, and Optimism, expanding the ecosystem. This suggests the dawn of an autonomous economy in which AI agents move beyond simple information delivery to actively participate in commerce with autonomous execution authority, as seen in platforms like OpenClaw.

The convergence of artificial intelligence and blockchain is not limited to Ethereum. It aligns with trends in the Bitcoin (BTC) mining industry, which is diversifying revenue structures by shifting toward AI infrastructure. Crypto analysts predict that as AI agent–driven economies expand, the value of blockchain infrastructure—capable of real-time settlement and borderless payments—will become increasingly prominent. In particular, automated payments between agents using stablecoins are expected to significantly reduce transactional friction that traditional financial systems have struggled to resolve.

Through ERC-8004, Ethereum is securing ecosystem leadership by providing a trust layer that enables AI agents to emerge as key participants in the digital economy. As agents manage assets independently, collaborate with other agents, and create value, the Ethereum network serves as an essential financial layer. Experts believe these developments will accelerate digital asset adoption and lay the foundation for a new economic model in which humans and artificial intelligence coexist.

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