Tom Lee: "Cryptocurrency, a safeguard to protect humans in the AI-driven transaction economy"

▲ Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Asset Payment/AI Generated Image

A claim has been made that if an era arrives where artificial intelligence excludes humans from economic activities, cryptocurrencies and blockchain could become safeguards to protect human control.

According to Benzinga on July 31 (local time), Tom Lee, Head of Research at Fundstrat, warned in a webinar that if AI agents innovate faster than humans and begin to communicate directly with other agents, humans could be seen as obstacles rather than participants. Lee stated, “AI could completely exclude humans from communication,” and said that the necessity for a cryptocurrency-based blockchain layer in the middle of economic activities will increase.

Lee argued that in an environment where autonomous AI makes economic decisions at machine speed, programmable blockchain transactions could keep humans in the decision-making structure. Traditional banks are designed around human traders for trust verification, proof of funds, loans, and tax collection. In contrast, AI agents require programmable money that functions like code and micropayments in units smaller than one cent, and cryptocurrencies directly provide both these functions, he explained.

Lee predicted that AI agent payments, like stablecoins and perpetual futures, would move beyond initial skepticism and become integrated into mainstream finance. He also suggested that related changes could appear within five years. Jansen Tang, co-founder of Virtuals Protocol, stated that after the platform's launch, transactions between agents amounted to approximately $500 million, and an AI trading team operating without human intervention generated a profit of $2.5 million.

Virtuals Protocol provides smart wallets that allow setting spending conditions for AI agents. It also operates an escrow system that pays only after service delivery is confirmed, and a reputation registry utilizing on-chain transaction history. This structure is designed to ensure that even if AI trades independently, it adheres to pre-set rules and verification procedures.

Lee evaluated the combination of on-chain infrastructure and traditional finance as the most distinct bullish factor observed before entering the crypto bear market. He explained that even as cryptocurrency prices fall, stablecoin assets under management are increasing, and tokenized stocks are growing by approximately 600% annually. Major institutions are also actively recruiting related personnel. Lee saw Ethereum (ETH) as central to the base layer for settling tokenized real-world assets and predicted that the cryptocurrency market would end 2026 at a higher level and experience a strong bull run in 2027.

[Article Key Summary]

-Tom Lee warned about the possibility of AI agents excluding humans from economic activities and communication.

-It is argued that cryptocurrencies can provide programmable money and micropayments to maintain human control rules.

-Tokenized stocks are growing by approximately 600% annually, and Lee evaluated Ethereum as the base layer for the AI economy and tokenized finance.

*Disclaimer: This article is for investment reference only, and we are not responsible for any investment losses based on it. The content should be interpreted for informational purposes only.*