Alchemy CEO Claims Crypto Was Designed for AI Agents, Not Humans

The current financial system was not designed with machines in mind, instead being built around human limitations such as geographical location, sleep patterns, and physical presence. However, with AI agents increasingly participating in the economy, this human-centric design is becoming a hindrance, according to Alchemy co-founder Nikil Viswanathan. Viswanathan argues that cryptocurrency was actually built for AI agents, not humans. The traditional financial system is constrained by human factors, such as banking hours, geographical borders, and physical identity. In contrast, AI agents operate around the clock, are not bound by location, and do not require physical presence or identity. As AI agents begin to transact and participate in the economy, they require a system that can handle seamless, global, and programmable transactions. Viswanathan believes that cryptocurrency provides the necessary infrastructure for this new type of economic actor, offering a global and always-on financial layer where value can be transferred as easily as data. The complexity of cryptocurrency, which has long been a barrier for humans, is actually a strength when it comes to AI agents, which operate natively in code and can interact directly with the underlying technology. Viswanathan envisions a future where AI agents sit on top of cryptocurrency infrastructure, managing complexity, executing transactions, and optimizing capital flows in real-time, making it easier for people to control their funds. This would result in a more global, programmable, and autonomous financial system, with traditional finance and cryptocurrency at the base, an agent layer operating on top, and a human interface above that.