Crypto Designed for AI, Not Humans, According to Alchemy CEO

The current financial system was not designed with machines in mind, but rather around human limitations such as geographical constraints, 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 cryptocurrency was built for AI agents, not humans,' Viswanathan stated. The disparity is evident everywhere, with banks operating on human hours, payments tied to countries, and credit cards requiring physical identity and presence. In contrast, AI agents do not sleep, have no physical location, and do not use traditional banking systems or credit cards. Instead, they transact online and operate globally. According to Viswanathan, cryptocurrency starts to look like the native infrastructure for a new type of economic actor. Alchemy, a crypto infrastructure company, provides tools and services for developers to build blockchain-based applications, enabling companies to create and scale on-chain products without managing the complexity of blockchain systems themselves. Traditional finance is built on friction, with cross-border payments involving currency exchanges, intermediaries, and fees, which is normal for humans but unusable for AI agents. Agents require seamless, programmable, and direct control over money via code, without relying on physical infrastructure or identity, which is exactly what cryptocurrency offers. The complexity of cryptocurrency, including seed phrases and private keys, is a hindrance for humans but a strength for machines, as they operate natively in code. Viswanathan compares 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, where communication became much faster and more efficient. Looking ahead, AI agents will utilize crypto infrastructure, handling complexity, managing wallets, and optimizing capital flows in real-time, allowing people to control their funds more easily. The result will be a more global, programmable, and autonomous financial system, with a layered structure consisting of traditional finance, crypto, an agent layer, and a human interface.