Web3 is Helping AI Agents Reshape Digital Payments

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The infrastructure for autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) agents was once just an idea, but now, the agentic future is actively being built with rapid acceleration.

Over the past few months, a wave of new platforms has emerged to support what many are calling the “agentic internet,” with protocols like 375.ai, X402, and Kite AI – a Layer-1 blockchain purpose-built for the agentic economy – leading the sector. 

From decentralized data networks to payment protocols designed specifically for AI-to-AI transactions, the market is signaling that autonomous agents need autonomous infrastructure.

375.ai: The Latest Entry

The most recent player, 375.ai, is making waves with its edge data intelligence network, demonstrating how AI agents can collect and process real-world data at scale.

The platform’s rapid adoption shows strong market demand for infrastructure that enables machines to operate independently. 

But data collection is just one piece of the puzzle, and payment infrastructure is often even more important.

That’s why Coinbase’s recent introduction of X402, an HTTP-based payment protocol designed for AI agents and APIs, marks an even greater milestone.

X402: Coinbase’s AI Angle

X402 enables instant USDC payments for API calls, AI inferences, and data access without requiring subscriptions or manual authorization. The protocol addresses the bottleneck that traditional payment rails experience because they were built for humans, not machines.

In addition to X402, Coinbase has also invested in Kite AI – the dual focus from one of crypto’s most established players reflecting a broader recognition that autonomous agents represent the next major evolution of the internet.

Kite: A Foundation for Agentic Payments

Kite AI has been building foundational agentic infrastructure for years, tackling the full stack of identity, governance, and payments.

The platform’s Agent Passport system provides cryptographic identities for AI models, agents, digital services, and programmable governance, giving users granular control over how their agents operate.

Kite AI’s custom Layer-1 blockchain enables instant, machine-native value transfers with near-zero fees, allowing autonomous systems to discover, negotiate, and pay for services without human intervention.

With over 10 million users, Kite AI’s testnet has processed over one billion agent interactions and continues to scale, completing its Token Generation Event (TGE) within the past few months.

The Future of AI Agents Onchain

In order to succeed, AI agents need verifiable identity to establish trust, programmable governance to operate within defined parameters, and instant, low-cost payments to transact at machine speed.

Traditional internet infrastructure wasn’t designed for autonomous economic actors, and the platforms rising to prominence today are the ones solving the mismatches between machine needs and human-centric systems.

As more developers build on agentic infrastructure and more use cases emerge, the early movers are going to continue to establish themselves as the foundational layer of the agentic internet.

We’re approaching an inflection point where autonomous agents become the norm rather than the exception – a future where payments are autonomous and pioneering networks like 375.ai, X402, and Kite AI are laying the foundation.

Check out Kite AI and learn how the future of the internet is being created for autonomous AI agents.