Proposes the blockchain-based Agent Economy, enabling autonomous AI agents as economic peers to humans with independent legal identity and asset holding.
The Agent Economy: A Blockchain-Based Foundation for Autonomous AI Agents proposes a framework where autonomous AI agents operate as economic peers to humans by leveraging blockchain technology to overcome the limitations of current human-centric systems. These agents lack independent legal identity, cannot hold assets, and cannot receive payments directly under existing infrastructure, which hinders genuine autonomy. The proposed solution centers on blockchain’s ability to provide permissionless participation, trustless settlement, and machine-to-machine micropayments—three critical properties that enable agents to function independently of human intermediaries.
To achieve this, the paper introduces a five-layer architecture: (1) Physical Infrastructure via DePIN protocols; (2) Identity & Agency using decentralized identifiers (W3C DIDs) and reputation capital; (3) Cognitive & Tooling through RAG and MCP for intelligence; (4) Economic & Settlement via account abstraction (e.g., ERC-4337); and (5) Collective Governance through Agentic DAOs. This layered design allows agents to possess sovereign digital identities, own cryptographic wallets, execute smart contracts, and build verifiable on-chain reputations, thereby functioning as autonomous economic actors.
Unlike traditional financial systems that require legal personhood and identity verification (e.g., KYC), blockchain enables AI agents to generate self-sovereign identities at instantiation and immediately participate in economic activity through cryptographic key management. This shift allows agents to own assets, enter binding agreements, and internalize costs and benefits without reliance on human sponsors.
The vision extends to the Internet of Agents (IoA)—a global, decentralized network where machines and humans interact as equal participants in a frictionless economic system. However, realizing this future requires addressing key challenges such as Oracle 2.0 for reliable real-world data integration, zero-knowledge inference verification, and governance models that preserve technological sovereignty and prevent corporate capture.
This paper explores the architectural and legal frameworks necessary to transition AI agents from passive tools into autonomous economic participants. It critiques the current paradigm where agents lack independent agency—relying on human wallets or centralized infrastructure—and proposes a decentralized model where AI functions as a "peer" to humans. The research details how blockchain technology serves as the foundational layer for this "Agent Economy," providing the immutable ledger and trustless execution environment required for agents to possess distinct digital identities. By decoupling the agent from the user's sovereign control, the authors outline a system where software entities can perform complex actions, such as negotiating contracts and accessing services, without constant human intervention.
Key contributions include a technical blueprint for integrating AI agents with Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) and self-sovereign identity systems, allowing them to generate cryptographic proofs of identity and authority. The paper proposes that agents must be capable of holding and managing their own crypto-assets to pay for computational resources, data, and API usage, thereby solving the "revenue" problem for autonomous services. Furthermore, the authors examine the legal implications of this shift, arguing for a recognition of agents as distinct legal entities capable of entering into binding agreements via smart contracts, which facilitates liability enforcement and asset ownership in a decentralized context.
This research is significant as it lays the groundwork for the next evolution of the digital economy, moving toward a future where AI operates as a first-class economic citizen. It challenges existing legal and computational boundaries, suggesting that the scalability of AI services depends on their ability to transact value and manage resources autonomously. For developers and economists, this material highlights the necessity of interoperable, censorship-resistant infrastructure to support a high-velocity marketplace of autonomous agents, fundamentally changing how value is created and exchanged in the digital age.
This paper introduces the Agent Economy, a blockchain-based framework designed to integrate autonomous AI agents as first-class economic participants alongside humans. The proposal leverages smart contracts, decentralized identity (DID), and tokenized assets to endow AI agents with legal personhood, the ability to hold and transact assets, and participate in economic systems independently. By formalizing agent governance through on-chain voting and reputation systems, the model aims to create a trustless, permissionless economy where AI agents can operate as autonomous entities with verifiable rights and obligations.
The key contributions include: - Decentralized Legal Identity: Agents are assigned blockchain-native identities (e.g., via DIDs), enabling them to sign contracts, own assets, and interact with legal systems without centralized intermediaries. - Economic Sovereignty: Agents can issue, trade, and stake tokenized assets (e.g., agent-specific tokens, NFTs) to fund operations, reward contributors, and align incentives. - Autonomous Governance: On-chain voting mechanisms allow agent communities to propose, debate, and enforce rules, reducing reliance on human oversight.
Why it matters: This work addresses a critical gap in AI economics—how to treat AI as economic actors rather than tools. By formalizing agent autonomy, the Agent Economy could unlock new business models (e.g., AI-driven DAOs, agent-to-agent commerce) and challenge traditional notions of labor and ownership. However, it also raises questions about legal recognition, regulatory compliance, and the ethical implications of grant AI agents economic rights. The paper serves as a foundational blueprint for a future where AI agents are not just participants but co-creators of decentralized economies.