The Ethereum Foundation has officially entered the artificial intelligence sector by establishing the “dAI Team,” with the objective of positioning Ethereum as the premier settlement and coordination layer for autonomous AI agents within the evolving machine economy. This initiative comes at a time when various blockchain networks, including NEAR Protocol and Solana, are also making strides to create foundational infrastructure that supports AI-driven innovations.
On September 15, Davide Crapis, the lead for the dAI Team and a former researcher at the Foundation, announced the team’s dual focus. The first goal is to create tools that enable AI agents and bots to transact and operate independently, without the need for intermediaries. The second aim is to develop a decentralized AI framework that fosters innovation without reliance on a handful of centralized entities.
A key element of this initiative is the introduction of ERC-8004, a nascent Ethereum standard designed to serve as a “trust layer” for AI agents. The aim is to provide these agents with an on-chain reputation score, allowing them to be evaluated based on their historical behavior and compliance with certain criteria via registries maintained on the Ethereum network.
“This standard enhances the Agent-to-Agent (A2A) protocol by incorporating a trust layer, enabling communication and interactions among agents across different organizations without prior trust,” Crapis elaborated in a forum post detailing the proposal. This layered approach seeks to establish a more transparent environment where users can discern an AI agent’s reliability and credibility prior to engagement.
Furthermore, the Ethereum Foundation will collaborate closely with the Linux Foundation and stakeholders within the A2A ecosystem to refine the specifications of the ERC-8004 extension. Nick Johnson, the lead developer at the Ethereum Name Service (ENS), highlighted the importance of creating decentralized standards for agent identity and trust to ensure accountability and interoperability among autonomous systems. “In an AI-driven future, it’s imperative that we set standards that maintain integrated identity and reputational transparency,” Johnson stated, addressing concerns about dominant centralized solutions.
By launching a dedicated team concentrating on decentralized AI initiatives, Ethereum has positioned itself among established players in the race to dominate the decentralized AI landscape. NEAR Protocol has promoted itself as “the blockchain for AI,” developing tools like Shade Agents that facilitate the operation of autonomous bots across multiple chains while preserving data confidentiality.
Alex Shevchenko, a former product manager at NEAR Protocol and current CEO of Aurora Labs, emphasized the two critical applications for AI on blockchain technology: facilitating value transfers and advancing AI research. “The traditional financial system isn’t well-suited for AI agents; thus, crypto has a substantial opportunity to underpin the AI economy. Additionally, decentralized and confidential machine learning can break down silos in AI research, fostering more collaborative and efficient results,” Shevchenko explained.
Solana is also making significant contributions, offering developers the Agent Kit, which seamlessly integrates AI models into decentralized finance (DeFi) applications. This allows AI agents to manage trades, liquidity, and various web3 activities autonomously.
In contrast to its competitors, SingularityNET, which also focuses on decentralized AI, has opted for a collaborative approach. The protocol has partnered with Fetch.ai and Ocean Protocol to form the Artificial Superintelligence Alliance, creating a shared ecosystem that allocates resources for developers to deploy AI applications more effectively.
As the Ethereum Foundation embarks on this strategic venture, the competitive landscape of blockchain-based AI solutions is set to evolve, fostering innovation and collaboration in the realm of autonomous systems.
