Are blockchains and AI agents a match made in heaven?
Metropolis, a new protocol that uses AI agents to cheaply and easily create small, purpose-built, interconnected blockchains, hopes to complete the hybrid so-called “chainlets,” which in turn will allow AI agents to connect and create many new things. Services.
The project, which will be launched in the spring, is carried out by Layer-one blockchain developer Saga in collaboration with AI-powered DAO ai16z, AI agent developers Virtuals and AI-based omni-chain developer WiFinder.
“Metropolis is specifically designed for AI agents,” Saga CEO Rebecca Liao told Decrypt. Establish and manage their own blockchain networks.
For example, Ai16z's ElizaOS powers advanced AI functions through cross-chain interactions. A virtual “butler agent” provides hosted wallets and pre-coded functions for deploying applications such as memecoins or prediction markets. And Wayfinder's multi-chain AI agent framework provides tools for deploying smart contracts and navigating ecosystems.
Liao said: “Right now there is no way for Wayfinder agents to communicate with i16z agents. To do this on a chain, Metropolis is developing innovations in artificial intelligence.
“This is a unique and new function for AI agents,” she said. “No other project has designed their agents or made them perform these tasks. This is the first agent platform in crypto.
Blockchains and AI go together like peanut butter and jelly
Over the past five years, it has become increasingly apparent that two of the biggest tech trends – crypto and AI – will enjoy some kind of convergence.
Let's start with the fact that all AI models are built on a “token” system—while general consumers pay for subscriptions to “thinking” AI tools like ChatGPT, developers interacting with AI models do so through APIs and use the models' underlying tokens. Pay only for the computing power they need to perform specific tasks.
But beyond that, there are many other combinations:
Blockchains are designed to be decentralized and provide secure and protected environments, which are ideal for AI agents. Smart contracts allow agreements between parties to be executed autonomously without human intervention—a perfect tool for AI agents. Goods and services can be transferred faster using crypto than agents using fiat. Interoperability, resilience, scalability, trust – all these features make blockchains ideal environments for agents.
However, while AI agent/blockchain hybrids offer an exciting vision of the future, they also come with risks.
Autonomous AI agents running the blockchain may attempt to centralize control of the network, ignoring the principle of decentralization. A malicious AI agent can exploit vulnerabilities in the network, creating significant security challenges. AI agents designed to operate autonomously may decide that they never want to execute the developer's plan.
“We are already seeing signs of violence from agents. For example, AiXBT recently criticized its parent protocol Virtualization,” Liao said. “Similar changes have been made in Colony, where Parallel Studio uses Wayfinder agents instead of users. Some players reported that their agents argued with them when they were given instructions.
Another concern is autonomous decision-making, which raises questions about accountability and automatic bias, particularly in financial and administrative situations.
The next big thing: Blockchains for AI agents
Yet despite the risks, the AI + blockchain space is attracting a lot of attention and indeed investment.
The blockchain AI agent space is red hot, with the current total market capitalization of AI agent tokens, AI meme coins, and AI agent startup tokens at $29.2 billion, according to Koingeco.
Combined with the broader artificial intelligence token market, the AI crypto sector has a market value of $77.6 billion. And according to global investment management firm VanEek, more than one million new AI agents will come online by 2025.
And Metropolis isn't the only blockchain project leveraging AI to make the block chain more interoperable. Other projects include the Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (FET), a leader in decentralized AI development, and the Matrix AI Network, which develops AI-driven smart contracts for autonomous blockchain operations.
Metropolis Protocol, however, offers a bolder approach to the blockchain/proxy world.
The protocol is based on Saga's chainlets, a special layer-1 blockchain already available on and designed to host smart contracts via the Ethereum Virtual Machine.
Each chain operates independently, running only the smart contracts selected by the developer. This isolation ensures that other unrelated tasks do not affect the performance of the application.
“Each chain has its own native tokens. To start a chainlet, you need to specify the name, denominations, number of days the chain will last, EVM genesis account and number of initial tokens. On the Saga network.
Because Chainlet does not share resources with other applications, developers can expect consistent and predictable transaction fees. Currently, all tokens on Saga are Ethereum tokens, but “Saga ultimately aims to be VM-agnostic,” she said.
Developers can deploy multiple chains to handle different parts of their application. For example, different chains can manage different trading pairs in a decentralized exchange, which allows the system to handle multiple transactions efficiently.
Liao said this setup allows developers to deploy proof-of-stake blockchain in a dedicated and flexible environment. According to Saga, Chainlets are natively gasless, allowing developers to design token models without restrictions from gas fees or other applications.
“The main difference is that when you deploy on Saga, instead of renting space on a shared chain like Ethereum, you're getting your own L1 blockchain,” she added. “This means you have full control over your application environment and don't have to compete for resources with other applications.”
Liao portrays Metropolis as a transformative force in the blockchain space, one that propagates ideas of decentralization and individualism and returns to some of the utopian dreams that crypto first offered.
“People come into this space for a variety of reasons, but whether it's decentralization, lack of trust, or sticking to the person, it's always been an agitation against homogeneity — a big global infrastructure, a nation-state or a cultural trend where you're not allowed to be different,” she says.
“In many ways Metropolis is an expression of that, superpowered by AI agents,” she added.
Edited by Sebastian Sinclair
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