Alchemy's CEO Claims Crypto Was Designed for AI, Not Humans

The current financial system was not designed with machines in mind, instead being built around human limitations such as geographical boundaries, sleep patterns, and physical presence. However, as AI agents start to participate in the economy, this human-centric design is becoming a hindrance, according to Alchemy co-founder Nikil Viswanathan. "One could argue that crypto was built for AI agents, not humans," he said. The disparity is evident everywhere, with banks operating on human schedules and payments tied to countries, whereas AI agents do not require sleep, physical presence, or geographical locations. They can transact online and are inherently global, Viswanathan explained. As AI agents increasingly participate in economic activities, crypto is starting to look like the native infrastructure for these new economic actors. Alchemy, a crypto infrastructure company, provides developers with the necessary tools to build blockchain-based applications, including APIs, node infrastructure, and data services. Traditional finance is built on the assumption of friction, with cross-border transactions involving currency exchanges, intermediaries, and fees, which is normal for humans but unusable for AI agents. In contrast, crypto offers a global, always-on financial layer where value can be transferred as easily as data. According to Viswanathan, what makes crypto difficult for humans to use, such as seed phrases and private keys, is exactly what makes it powerful for machines, as they operate natively in code. The shift from crypto being built for humans to being used by AI agents is comparable to the transition from the postal system to the internet, where communication became much faster and more efficient. Viswanathan envisions a future where AI agents will handle complexity, manage wallets, and execute transactions, allowing people to control their funds more easily and resulting in a more global, programmable, and autonomous financial system.