The Next Wave in Crypto Payments: AI Agents, Says Coinbase's Jesse Pollak

According to Jesse Pollak of Coinbase, the rapid evolution of AI agents is revolutionizing online transactions, with crypto infrastructure playing a pivotal role. In an interview with CoinDesk, Pollak noted that what was nearly impossible just nine months ago is now feasible due to the accelerated capabilities of autonomous AI systems. As these agents advance, the need for native transaction methods becomes increasingly apparent. Pollak explained that since agents operate on software, they require 'money as software.' This shift is driving interest in 'agentic payments,' where AI systems can autonomously pay for services such as data access, computing power, or travel bookings. Pollak expressed his hope that the x402 open-source payments protocol, developed by Coinbase in collaboration with companies like Microsoft, Google, and Mastercard, will be a crucial component of this emerging landscape. The x402 protocol enables on-demand API payments without the need for subscriptions or traditional billing systems. By leveraging blockchain-based payments, agents can make a single API call or smart contract call to transfer funds globally, almost instantly, and at a negligible cost, according to Pollak. There is already visible traction, with approximately $48 million in payment volume having flowed through X402 so far, mostly on Base, the Ethereum layer-2 network founded by Pollak and incubated by Coinbase. The ecosystem is expanding rapidly, with integrations spanning AI providers, data platforms, and travel services that agents can access directly. Pollak's long-term vision is to create an open marketplace where agents can programmatically access services without encountering paywalls or requiring human intervention. 'You want agents to be able to run wild,' he said, describing a system where software can seamlessly discover, purchase, and utilize digital services in real-time. While fully autonomous 'zero-human' businesses are beginning to emerge, Pollak believes the more significant near-term shift will come from people augmenting themselves with AI. 'The top performers are now using agents to become even more top performers,' he said, describing workflows powered by multiple parallel AI systems. For the crypto industry, the broader challenge remains adoption. Pollak argued that the solution lies not in better marketing but in making crypto invisible to the user. 'It'll be a lot easier to sell crypto when you don't have to tell people about it, they just experience it,' he said.