Coinbase Says it Unlocked First AI-to-AI Crypto Transaction

Two AI agents took part in the first-ever crypto transaction that didn’t involve humans, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said.

“What did one AI buy from another? Tokens!” Armstrong touted the achievement on Aug. 30. “Not crypto tokens, but AI tokens (words basically from one LLM to another). They used tokens to buy tokens.”

According to Armstrong, this marks a significant achievement at the intersection of crypto and AI. Until today, bots and artificially created agents struggled to acquire resources because they couldn’t transact.

“AI agents cannot get bank accounts, but they can get crypto wallets,” Armstrong added. “They can now use USDC on Base to transact with humans, merchants, or other AIs. Those transactions are instant, global, and free.”

Coinbase had previously unveiled an accelerator to distribute $15,000 in grants to projects working to combine AI with crypto wallets. That reality is coming to life, it seems.

Armstrong called on developers working to create LLMs to tap into his company’s MPC wallets and potentially integrate crypto payments between bots. He also said that companies selling services will need to get ready for their shopping carts to be “AI checkout enabled.”

“It turns out everyone benefits from having access to good financial services, including AIs! How big will the AI to AI economy be a few years from now?” he asked.