Animoca’s Yat Siu predicts that AI agents will make 2026 the Year of Utility.

crypthub

about 10 hours ago

Shift to an Automated On‑Chain Economy

The speculative boom is giving way to a system where AI agents operate on blockchain behind the scenes. Yat Siu sees AI and distributed‑ledger technology reaching a tipping point. Friction from gas fees, private keys and bridges will be hidden by autonomous software. Users will benefit without noticing the underlying complexity.

AI Agents as Primary On‑Chain Executors

Intelligent agents will manage transactions and wallet security autonomously. By removing the need for seed phrases and fee calculations, they erase technical barriers. This turns blockchain into a permissionless rail fast enough for machine commerce. The model shifts valuation from hype to functional utility.

Usability Overhaul and Remaining Risks

Agents will translate a simple user intent into the required chain of transactions. Human interaction with smart contracts and gas topology will become optional. Early costly AI errors highlight the need for safeguards. Scalable digital property rights depend on this automation.

2026 as the Year of Utility

Infrastructure upgrades and clearer regulations are converging around 2026. Legal certainty will unlock corporate tokenization and institutional capital. Improved consensus layers will support millions of agents simultaneously. Animoca positions this moment as the catalyst for billions of new blockchain users.