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The Ethereum Foundation announced on 15 Sept the formation of a new decentralized AI (dAI) team, aimed at establishing Ethereum (ETH) as the settlement layer for autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) agents.
Introducing: The dAI team
This work will strengthen Ethereum as the trust and coordination layer for AI. https://t.co/L5e3kOAwZk
— Ethereum Foundation (@ethereumfndn) September 15, 2025
The initiative was revealed by Davide Crapis, leader of the dAI team, in an official X post. This move signals Ethereum’s strategic shift from being just a cryptocurrency and smart contract platform to serving as the infrastructure backbone of a future AI-driven economy.
Building an AI Economy on Ethereum
According to Crapis, the mission is to make Ethereum the primary layer where autonomous AI agents can transact, collaborate, and build reputation without oversight from centralized platforms.
The strategy has two key priorities:
- Enabling robots and AI agents to execute payments and follow governance rules directly on the Ethereum network, paving the way for a new AI economy.
- Driving development of an open, censorship-resistant decentralized AI stack, ensuring AI systems can be built on transparent and verifiable infrastructure rather than proprietary, closed technologies.
As part of this effort, the foundation is already working on a technical standard, ERC-8004, which would allow AI agents to securely verify identities and transact on the Ethereum blockchain.
Blockchain + AI: A Symbiotic Future
Crapis emphasized the symbiotic relationship between blockchain and AI, stating:
“Blockchain enhances AI’s trustworthiness, while AI increases Ethereum’s utility as the second-largest cryptocurrency.”
The foundation believes that as AI agents scale in number and sophistication, there will be growing demand for a neutral blockchain layer to anchor value and reputation, a role Ethereum is uniquely positioned to fulfill.
This approach also counters concerns over big tech dominance in AI, positioning Ethereum as a neutral, verifiable, censorship-resistant alternative to centralized ecosystems.
Long-Term Vision and Ecosystem Integration
The dAI team will work closely with Ethereum Foundation protocol and ecosystem groups, linking AI developer needs to protocol upgrades and funding innovative public goods. The goal is to make Ethereum the most attractive base layer for AI innovation.
Additionally, the team will collaborate with ecosystem projects and academic researchers exploring the intersection of blockchain and AI.
Ethereum Foundation’s announcement comes amid growing global interest in decentralized systems combined with AI technology. By setting this direction, the foundation aims to ensure Ethereum plays a pivotal role in powering the next generation of autonomous digital agents.
