The Ethereum Foundation is forming a new team to help Ethereum become the main infrastructure layer for artificial intelligence agents and the machine economy.
Key Takeaways
- Ethereum Foundation has launched a dedicated “dAI Team” focused on integrating AI agents with the Ethereum blockchain.
- The initiative is led by research scientist Davide Crapis, who aims to bridge the gap between blockchain and AI organizations.
- A central focus is ERC-8004, a proposed Ethereum standard that could enable trusted AI agent identity and transactions.
- The team seeks to build a decentralized AI stack, avoiding reliance on major corporations and ensuring open, verifiable systems.
What Happened?
The Ethereum Foundation has launched a new division called the dAI Team, aimed at making Ethereum the go-to settlement and coordination layer for artificial intelligence agents. This initiative is spearheaded by Davide Crapis, a core Ethereum developer and research scientist, who announced the team on X.
In the near term, the team will concentrate on implementing ERC-8004, a new Ethereum standard designed to help AI agents identify themselves, build reputation, and transact securely on-chain.
We’re starting a new AI Team at the Ethereum Foundation (the dAI Team).
— Davide Crapis (@DavideCrapis) September 15, 2025
Our mission: make Ethereum the preferred settlement and coordination layer for AIs and the machine economy.
The team will focus on two main areas:
– AI Economy on Ethereum = giving AI agents and robots ways… pic.twitter.com/9sWVS4dp0K
Ethereum’s Vision for a Decentralized AI Future
The dAI Team represents a pivotal move in Ethereum’s broader strategy to expand its use beyond finance into AI coordination and agent-based economies. With Crapis at the helm, the team’s dual focus is:
- Enabling AI agents to interact and transact without centralized intermediaries
- Building a decentralized AI infrastructure that resists monopolization by large tech corporations
Crapis emphasized Ethereum’s core strengths, such as neutrality, censorship resistance, and verifiability, as foundational traits that make it ideal for the next phase of intelligent systems.
“The more intelligent agents transact, the more they need a neutral base layer for value and reputation,” Crapis said. “Ethereum benefits by becoming that layer and AI benefits by escaping lock-in to a few centralized platforms.”
Spotlight on ERC-8004
The emerging ERC-8004 standard is central to the dAI Team’s early efforts. Scheduled for unveiling at Devconnect in Buenos Aires this November, ERC-8004 will provide:
- Proof of AI agent identity
- Standardized verification of behavior and rules
- Trusted coordination for AI agents across dapps and wallets
The proposed standard is seen as critical to scaling safe and reliable autonomous agent activity. It is designed to allow applications to check who or what an AI agent is, how it behaves, and whether it follows certain policies.
Crapis described it as a way to enforce trust and predictability without middlemen, while still giving developers and users confidence in the agent’s actions.
Aligning with Ethereum’s Broader Strategy
This AI-focused push fits within the Ethereum Foundation’s recent restructuring efforts in 2025, which include:
- Privacy enhancements like private reads and writes
- Improved Layer 2 interoperability to make scaling feel seamless
- Ecosystem support for public goods and decentralized governance
The dAI Team will work across the Foundation’s Protocol and Ecosystem divisions, ensuring their innovations align with broader Ethereum development.
Industry Collaborations Underway
According to Crapis, the dAI Team is already engaging in research collaborations with major Silicon Valley companies, though details remain under wraps. These partnerships aim to bridge blockchain-native efforts with leading players in the AI industry.
While Ethereum isn’t positioning itself as a direct competitor to major AI firms like OpenAI, Crapis noted that Ethereum could offer an alternative AI infrastructure layer, much like how it pioneered decentralized finance (DeFi) as an alternative to traditional banking.
CoinLaw’s Takeaway
Honestly, this is a smart and bold move from Ethereum. In my experience, when the crypto world aligns itself with frontier technologies like AI, we tend to see the most interesting breakthroughs. By creating a standard for AI agents and building open infrastructure, Ethereum isn’t just following trends, it’s shaping the next wave. I found the idea of ERC-8004 fascinating, especially because it’s not just about payments but about trust, reputation, and interoperability. It’s like giving intelligent software agents a passport and a set of rules to play fair. If Ethereum can truly bridge this gap, it could redefine how AI is built, scaled, and governed.
