The new initiative, led by researcher Davide Crapis, aims to connect Ethereum’s role as a censorship-resistant settlement layer with the fast-growing world of intelligent agents and machine learning.

Crapis explained that Ethereum offers the neutrality and transparency that AI systems increasingly require, while AI can, in turn, expand the utility of Ethereum. “As more intelligent agents interact and transact, they need a trusted base layer for value and reputation. That’s where Ethereum comes in,” he noted.

The new division, dubbed the “dAI team,” is already hiring key roles, including an AI researcher and a project manager to coordinate development. Crapis will oversee the group, which will continue building on early work tied to ERC-8004 — a proposal designed to create a trust layer for AI agent-to-agent communication.

Building a Decentralized AI Economy

At the heart of this push is the concept of AI agents, software entities capable of making decisions and executing tasks with little to no human oversight. These programs can handle transactions, negotiate with other agents, and carry out operations on behalf of users. By embedding such agents into Ethereum’s programmable infrastructure, the Foundation hopes to create a new class of decentralized applications where humans and AI systems collaborate seamlessly.

Ethereum’s role as a programmable settlement layer is already expanding. Data from CryptoQuant shows that daily smart contract interactions recently climbed to 12 million, alongside record highs in overall transactions and active addresses. This activity underscores Ethereum’s growing importance across decentralized finance, stablecoin transfers, and tokenized economies — and sets the stage for AI-driven use cases to gain traction.

A Growing Trend Across Web3

The Foundation’s move also reflects a broader industry trend. Web3 projects are racing to integrate AI capabilities, from Matchain’s launch of a decentralized AI blockchain in 2024 to KiteAI’s rollout of an AI-powered blockchain within the Avalanche ecosystem earlier this year. Supporters argue that combining AI with decentralized infrastructure could tackle some of AI’s biggest challenges, such as reliance on centralized platforms, lack of transparency, and identity verification.

Industry voices see the convergence of AI and blockchain as one of the defining technological narratives of the coming years. Arunkumar Krishnakumar of Kamino Finance suggested that the rise of AI agents, when paired with secure and decentralized systems like Ethereum, could ultimately reshape the digital economy.

With Ethereum now investing directly in AI research, the stage is set for the blockchain to play a central role in how decentralized intelligence evolves — a future where smart contracts and smart agents may increasingly operate side by side.

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