Ethereum Foundation establishes AI research team to create a new era of decentralized artificial intelligence economy.

The Ethereum Foundation has announced the establishment of a new artificial intelligence (AI) research team, aiming to deeply integrate the anti-censorship and trusted settlement capabilities of blockchain with the autonomous decision-making and computational advantages of AI. The team will focus on developing decentralized AI stacks and the artificial intelligence economy, pushing Ethereum (ETH) to become the neutral foundational layer for AI agents, opening a new chapter in the integration of Web3 and AI.

The Complementary Advantages of AI and Ethereum

Ethereum Foundation research scientist Davide Crapis stated: "Ethereum makes artificial intelligence more trustworthy, while artificial intelligence makes Ethereum more practical."

He pointed out that as the participation of intelligent AI agents in economic activities increases, they need a neutral, immutable layer to maintain value and reputation, and Ethereum happens to provide this role. Conversely, the introduction of AI will expand the application scenarios of Ethereum, making it more practical in the fields of automated trading, asset management, and decision-making.

dAI Team and ERC-8004 Proposal

The newly established dAI team will continue the research results of the ERC-8004 proposal, which was written by Crapis, Marco De Rossi, and Jordan Ellis, aiming to construct a trust layer for AI agent to agent (A2A) interactions, facilitating users to discover and interact with AI agents.

Currently, the foundation is recruiting AI researchers and project managers for the dAI team to promote coordination and technical implementation, and to support more projects that transform Ethereum into an AI + human collaborative ecosystem.

AI Agent and Smart Contract Integration

AI agents are programs that can operate autonomously with minimal human supervision, capable of executing trades and making decisions on behalf of developers. By integrating Ethereum's smart contracts, AI agents can complete asset settlements, portfolio rebalancing, and cross-asset trading within seconds.

According to CryptoQuant data, the daily call volume of Ethereum smart contracts has reached 12 million, indicating that its adoption as a programmable Settlement layer is continuously rising, covering multiple areas such as DeFi, stablecoin transfers, and token activities.

The Industry Trend of Web3 and AI Integration

Experts believe that the decentralization, immutability, and authentication characteristics of blockchain can compensate for the shortcomings of AI in terms of trust and transparency.

In addition to the Ethereum Foundation, other Web3 projects are also exploring this integration: in 2024, Matchain will launch a decentralized AI blockchain; in 2025, KiteAI will introduce AI-driven on-chain services in the Avalanche ecosystem. Arunkumar Krishnakumar from Kamino Finance further pointed out that the combination of AI agents and blockchain will redefine the operational model of the digital economy.

Conclusion

The AI research team of the Ethereum Foundation marks the accelerated integration of blockchain and artificial intelligence. In the future, as AI agents autonomously operate in decentralized environments, ETH will not only serve as a financial settlement layer but may also become the core infrastructure for global trusted computing and the digital economy.