Alchemy CEO Claims Crypto Was Designed for AI, Not Humans

The current financial system was not designed with machines in mind, but rather around human constraints such as geographical location, 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. 'It can be argued that cryptocurrency was built for AI agents, not humans,' Viswanathan stated. The discrepancy is evident everywhere, with banks having operating hours due to human limitations, payments being tied to countries, and credit cards relying on physical identity and presence. In contrast, AI agents operate without sleep, physical location, or the need for banks or credit cards, and are increasingly capable of conducting transactions. 'All transactions for agents are online and inherently global,' Viswanathan explained. This is where cryptocurrency starts to resemble the native infrastructure for a new type of economic actor, rather than an alternative financial system. Alchemy, a crypto infrastructure company, provides developers with the necessary tools and services to build blockchain-based applications, including APIs, node infrastructure, and data services. Traditional finance is based on the assumption of friction, with cross-border payments involving currency exchanges, intermediaries, and fees, which is normal for humans but impractical for AI agents. Agents require seamless, programmable, and direct control over money via code, without relying on physical infrastructure or identity. Cryptocurrency offers exactly that - a global, always-on financial layer where value moves as easily as data. 'Cryptocurrency is the global infrastructure for money that agents need,' Viswanathan said. The complexity of cryptocurrency, including seed phrases, private keys, and interacting with code, is challenging for humans but powerful for machines, as agents operate natively in code. Viswanathan compared the shift from crypto tools being built for humans to being used by AI agents to the transition from the postal system to the internet. While people once had to physically write and mail letters, modern communication is much faster. 'Email is far more powerful than the postal system because it's designed for computers,' Viswanathan said. 'Cryptocurrency is similar.' Moving forward, AI agents will utilize crypto infrastructure, handling complexity, managing wallets, executing transactions, and optimizing capital flows in real-time, allowing people to control their funds more easily. 'You can write code to manage a crypto wallet, but you can't do the same with a bank account,' Viswanathan said. The result will be a financial system that is more global, programmable, and autonomous. Viswanathan envisions a layered future, with traditional finance and crypto as the base, an agent layer operating on top, and a human interface above that. 'Just like computers operate the internet and humans use it, agents will operate finance,' he said.