Coinbase Executes First-Ever Cryptocurrency Transaction Between Two AI Agents

Coinbase has executed the first-ever cryptocurrency transaction between two AI agents, marking a notable development in combining artificial intelligence

Coinbase has made history by facilitating the first-ever cryptocurrency transaction between two AI agents, marking a significant advancement in the integration of artificial intelligence and blockchain technology.

Revealed in a recent X (formerly Twitter) post by Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, the transaction was carried out on Coinbase's developer platform using USDC on Base Layer 2, enabling two AI agents to exchange tokens for AI-specific services and capabilities.

The transaction, which occurred without any human involvement, showcases the ability of AI systems to interact directly and conduct instant, global transactions. “They used tokens to buy tokens,” stated Armstrong簡潔地描述了這次交易。

Coinbase CEO went on to explain that current AI agents are limited in their operations due to the inability to hold bank accounts or use conventional payment methods. However, with crypto wallets, these AI systems could overcome such limitations; as he noted, “AI agents cannot get bank accounts, but they can get crypto wallets.”

Coinbase Integrates Crypto Wallets for Expanding AI Capabilities

The transaction is part of Coinbase's initiative to integrate more AI agents with cryptocurrency functionalities, allowing them to perform tasks that require financial transactions. Armstrong pointed out that integrating crypto wallets enables AI agents to handle tasks autonomously, such as booking travel or managing social media beyond content creation. He emphasized that this development is a step toward AI systems “getting useful work done,” which has not been feasible in the past when AI agents could not complete tasks requiring payments.

Coinbase's recent move comes at a time when companies like Skyfire and Biconomy are also focused on empowering AI agents with transactional capabilities in the blockchain industry. While Skyfire recently launched a platform allowing AI agents to manage and spend money autonomously, Biconomy is working on integrating AI-driven on-chain transactions, allowing users to delegate trading activities to AI systems.

Coinbase Explores More AI and Crypto Integrations

In related news, Coinbase also recently began exploring the integration of large language models (LLMs), the foundational technology for AI systems like OpenAI's ChatGPT, into the crypto ecosystem. According to Armstrong, giving these models the capability to hold crypto wallets would enable them to participate actively in economic activities on users’ behalf.

A report from Coinbase last year also highlighted the potential of combining AI and blockchain technologies. It highlighted that decentralized data marketplaces could support generative AI by providing a verified and diverse data set for training models. The report also mentioned using token-based incentives to improve data quality and authenticity and decentralized networks to provide computational power for AI projects.

Meanwhile, Coinbase recently introduced perpetual futures for cryptocurrencies like BounceBit, Conflux, and Neo to further expand its offerings and provide traders with new opportunities to engage in more complex financial strategies.