Ethereum Co-Founder Joseph Lubin Sees AI Agents Driving Crypto’s Next Wave, Warns Of Centralization Risks

• Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin said artificial intelligence agents could use blockchain networks to transact, coordinate, and verify activity autonomously.
• He said crypto wallets like MetaMask were evolving into “personal financial operating systems” that artificial intelligence agents could manage on behalf of users.
• Research from a16z Crypto highlighted that the agents were already moving from theory to practice.

Joseph Lubin, CEO of Consensys and co-founder of Ethereum (ETH), says that artificial intelligence (AI) is likely to be the next big thing that changes the course of cryptocurrency. 

Lubin told CoinDesk on Saturday that autonomous and semi-autonomous AI agents might soon use crypto infrastructure as the backbone for machine-driven activities on decentralized networks to transact, coordinate, and verify each other. 

Lubin said that he is "sympathetic to the idea that blockchain is for machine intelligence," but doesn't think AI will take over for humans.

AI Could Become Crypto’s Core Infrastructure

Lubin warned that the growing influence of AI also carries risks, particularly if control becomes concentrated among a small number of large technology firms.

He said decentralized systems and cryptographic tools will be critical to maintaining accountability, enabling AI agents to verify one another’s actions in open, trustless environments. 

As part of this shift, Lubin said crypto wallets like MetaMask were being redesigned as “a new kind of neobank” that users own and control, functioning more like a personal financial operating system.

He also pointed to structural changes in the Ethereum ecosystem, predicting the rise of “corporate chains,” blockchains operated by businesses for scalability and management, while still relying on Ethereum’s base layer for asset issuance.

“The best way to ensure that an asset is durable… is to mint it on Ethereum layer one,” he said.

Ethereum’s price was trading at $2,361, down by over 3% over the past 24 hours. On Stocktwits, the retail sentiment around ETH remained in the ‘bullish’ zone, while chatter around it stayed in the ‘high’ levels over the past day.

Instead, interfaces are projected to become more advanced, making it easier for users to interact with crypto. This will let people utilize systems by giving them orders based on their intentions instead of having to do things by hand. This concept has AI as a middle layer between consumers and blockchain protocols.

But he warned that the burgeoning power of AI also comes with pitfalls. If only a few big tech companies dominated AI infrastructure, it might cause problems for the whole system. Lubin stressed that decentralized systems and cryptographic tools will be crucial for holding people accountable and enabling AI agents to check one another in open, trustless settings.

As part of this change, crypto wallets like MetaMask are being redesigned. Lubin said the wallet has become "a new kind of neobank” that one owns and controls, which means it works like a personal financial operating system. AI-powered bots may handle assets, make transactions, and move among decentralized ecosystems for users, making personal finance even more automated.

Lubin discussed changes to the structure of the Ethereum ecosystem, in addition to user interfaces. He thinks that "corporate chains" will become more common. These are businesses that use their own blockchain networks for scalability and management, but still use Ethereum's basic layer to issue assets. “The best way to ensure that an asset is durable… is to mint it on Ethereum layer one,” he said.

AI Agents Move From Theory To On-Chain Activity

Recent research from a16z Crypto has also pointed to early signs of autonomous AI agents operating in live environments, with some already managing wallets, executing trades, and interacting with on-chain protocols without direct human input.

The report noted that these agents"have moved quickly from copilots to economic actors faster than the infrastructure around them,” signaling a shift toward machine-driven activity on decentralized networks.

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