Foreign media: In its latest research, BlackRock indicates that the widespread adoption of AI could become an underestimated source of demand for digital assets. Its assessment does not merely rest on market sentiment but points to more specific use cases such as payments, settlements, and computing power transactions.

Machines for payment, or first promoting the use of stablecoins

In a study titled "The Machine Native Economy," BlackRock mentioned that as the number of AI agents with autonomous execution capabilities increases, the demand for payments between machines may rise. Although traditional payment systems can support some automation, account opening, authorization, and credential management still often require human intervention, and merchant fees as well as settlement efficiency can limit small-value, high-frequency transactions.

The article argues that stablecoins, native crypto assets, and tokenized real-world assets are more suitable for machine-based payment scenarios that operate around the clock, especially for high-frequency, low-amount automatic settlements. BlackRock writes that among various types of digital assets, stablecoins are most likely to be the first to be adopted for transaction purposes.

Computing power may also become an on-chain asset.

In addition to payments, BlackRock is also setting its sights on the AI computing power market. As the computational resources required for training and running the AI system continue to rise, AI companies may prefer to lock in costs in advance, and computing power providers also need to manage price and delivery risks.

In this context, the right to demand computing power capacity in the future may be turned into transferable tokens that can be used for trading, staking, or collateral. The article suggests that such arrangements are expected to attract more institutional investors and could also turn "computing power" into a new market within the digital asset ecosystem.

• It is possible to turn computing power quotas into tradable tokens.
• Tokens can be used for collateral, staking, or trading.
• AI The proxy can automatically purchase resources as needed.

Cryptography companies are already deploying relevant tools.

This kind of judgment echoes what has been said in the crypto industry in recent years. The CEO of Coinbase previously stated that AI, as a major trend, will not diminish the importance of the crypto industry; on the contrary, it may increase the demand for programmable currencies and on-chain financial services.

Currently, some companies have begun to launch payment tools targeting AI agents. Reports mention that the x402 protocol of Coinbase and the Machine Payments Protocol of Tempo both attempt to enable AI agents to automatically make payments for online services. Circle also launched agent wallet and USDC payment tools in May of this year, while OKX introduced a Agent Payments Protocol that supports periodic payments and managed releases.

Overall, BlackRock's research has advanced the relationship between AI and digital assets from conceptual discussions to two more specific areas: payment infrastructure and the computing power market. If institutional investors adopt this framework, stablecoins, on-chain payment networks, and tokenization efforts related to computing power may all receive more attention in the future.