Alchemy CEO Claims Crypto Was Designed for AI, Not Humans

The existing financial system was never intended for machine use, having been constructed around human limitations such as geographical location, sleep patterns, and physical presence. However, with the emergence of AI agents as economic participants, this human-centric design is becoming a hindrance, says Alchemy co-founder Nikil Viswanathan. 'It can be argued that cryptocurrency was built for AI agents, not humans,' he stated. The disparity is evident everywhere: banks operate on human schedules, payments are tied to countries, and credit cards require physical identity and presence. AI agents, on the other hand, operate without interruption, do not reside in any specific location, and do not require physical presence or cards. They are increasingly capable of executing transactions independently. All transactions conducted by agents occur online and are inherently global, Viswanathan explained in an interview with CoinDesk. This is where cryptocurrency begins to resemble the native infrastructure for a new type of economic entity, 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. These tools enable companies to create and scale on-chain products without managing the intricacies of blockchain systems themselves. Traditional finance is built on the assumption of friction, with cross-border transactions involving currency exchanges, intermediaries, and fees. While this may be normal for humans, it is impractical for AI agents, which require seamless and rapid transactions across borders, often in small increments, as well as programmability and direct control over funds via code. Cryptocurrency offers exactly that: a global, always-on financial layer where value can be transferred as easily as data, according to Viswanathan. 'Cryptocurrency is the global infrastructure for money that agents need,' he said. The complexity of cryptocurrency, which has long been a challenge for humans, including the use of seed phrases, private keys, and direct interaction with code, is precisely what makes it powerful for machines. Unlike humans, agents operate natively in code and can read and process binary data. 'Agents understand zeros and ones, which is also the language of cryptocurrency,' Viswanathan explained. For years, cryptocurrency has attempted to abstract itself into a more human-friendly form, but its underlying architecture was never intended for human use. Viswanathan compared the shift from crypto tools being built primarily for humans to crypto tools 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 to communicate globally, modern communication is much faster and more efficient. 'Email is far more powerful than the postal system because it is designed for computers,' Viswanathan said. 'Cryptocurrency is similar.' Moving forward, AI agents will utilize crypto infrastructure, handling complexity automatically, managing wallets, executing transactions, and optimizing capital flows in real-time, allowing individuals to control their funds more easily. 'You can write code to manage a cryptocurrency wallet, but you cannot do the same with a bank account,' Viswanathan said. The result will be a more global, programmable, and autonomous financial system. Viswanathan envisions a layered future, with traditional finance and cryptocurrency serving as the foundation, an agent layer operating on top, and a human interface above that. 'Just as computers operate the internet and humans use it, agents will operate finance,' he said.