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

The current financial system was designed with human limitations in mind, including geographical constraints, sleep patterns, and physical presence. However, with the emergence of AI agents as economic participants, this human-centric design is becoming a hindrance, according to Nikil Viswanathan, co-founder of crypto firm Alchemy. 'Crypto was built for AI agents, not humans,' he said. The traditional financial system is tailored to human needs, with banks having operating hours, payments tied to countries, and credit cards requiring physical identity and presence. In contrast, AI agents operate around the clock, are location-agnostic, and don't require physical presence or identity verification. As AI agents increasingly engage in transactions, the need for a more efficient and global financial system becomes apparent. Viswanathan argues that cryptocurrency provides the native infrastructure for this new economic paradigm, enabling seamless, global, and programmable transactions. Traditional finance is built on friction, with cross-border payments involving currency exchanges, intermediaries, and fees. However, AI agents require a frictionless system that allows for seamless transactions across borders, often in small increments. Crypto offers exactly that, providing a global, always-on financial layer where value can move as easily as data. The complexity of crypto, which has long been a barrier for humans, is actually a strength for machines. AI agents operate natively in code, and crypto's underlying architecture is well-suited for machine-to-machine interactions. Viswanathan compares the shift from human-centric crypto tools to AI-driven crypto infrastructure to the transition from the postal system to the internet. Just as email is more powerful than the postal system because it's designed for computers, crypto is more powerful because it's designed for machines. Looking ahead, Viswanathan envisions a future where AI agents sit on top of crypto infrastructure, managing complexity, executing transactions, and optimizing capital flows in real-time. This would result in a more global, programmable, and autonomous financial system, with AI agents operating finance and humans interacting with it through a user-friendly interface.