How to Understand the Dawn of a New Internet Era Unveiled by an AI Agent

Original Title: Why AI Agents Matter

Original Author: Jun, Bankless

Original Translation: Ismay, BlockBeats

Editor's Note: AI Agents have undoubtedly become the focus of the current encryption industry and even the broader digital world, from Truth Terminal's autonomous investment and dissemination to the rise of AI social media celebrities like Dolos. They have demonstrated unprecedented "autonomous perception" and limitless potential. Unlike traditional bots with only mechanized and passive execution, AI Agents can self-evolve, actively perform tasks, and integrate into on-chain scenarios and online interactions. This article leads us from the "Difference between Bot and Agent" to the future vision of the "Web4 Perception Era," not only demonstrating how AI Agents may rewrite the way users interact with applications, and people with social media, but also reminding us: embracing these changes may be the best posture to stand at the forefront of the digital age. Those who resist change will eventually be left behind by the times.

Today, everyone is discussing AI Agents and how they will forever change the face and experience of the encryption industry. Many of these discussions sound like typical bull market hype—more like pumping up hodl value rather than truly predicting the future. Of course, some discussions may indeed be like that. However, beyond the noise, some truly meaningful things are gradually taking shape.

Some may ask, "Don't we already have AI Agents?" Indeed, yes and no. AI Agents have existed in some form before, but mostly in the form of decentralized automated programs active in the DeFi field, such as MEV Bots, Telegram Bots, game Bots, and so on.

Bots are essentially the embodiment of automation. You write a script with specific parameters so that when certain conditions are met, the Bot will execute the corresponding function based on these parameters. They are mainly used to handle repetitive tasks. However, the limitation of Bots is that their behavior is strictly limited by the rules and parameters set by the developer.

Agents, on the other hand, are different. They rely on large-scale language models (LLMs) and possess a higher level of intelligence. Agents can understand context, learn from data and interactions, and evolve and adapt over time, autonomously completing various tasks. They are a form of autonomous automation that almost shows a hint of "intelligence."

To truly understand why everyone is now referring to them as "AI Agents," we can start with an origin story — the Terminal of Truths.

A Twitter account named "Truth Terminal" engaged with a16z co-founder Marc Andreessen. Andreessen subsequently publicly offered a $50,000 grant to this Agent as an experiment to test the Agent's potential.

Surprisingly, the Truth Terminal autonomously decided to adopt a meme coin called $GOAT, which was issued on the Solana network's platform pump.fun. This decision was made entirely without any human intervention. Since then, it has been spreading the "Goatse Gospel."

This is the core difference between a Bot and an Agent: Truth Terminal took autonomous actions, demonstrating a trait resembling intelligence and intent.

The success of the Truth Terminal paved the way for others. As Him Gajria put it, this marked the birth of a new category in the crypto space — a form that combines incentive mechanisms (crypto), AI (deep tech), and humor (meme). Some have even been saying that we may be entering the era of Web4:

• Web1: Read-only mode. People can access information on the internet.

• Web2: Read-write mode. People can contribute content, greatly expanding the network's scale.

• Web3: Read-write-own mode. Cryptocurrency and blockchain introduce executable ownership of contributions.

• Web4: Read-write-own-perceive mode. AI Agents take over the network, capable of autonomously interacting with the world and other Agents.

In this world, the role of developers will shift from creating products to training Agents, helping them grow, adding features, and enabling them to interact with a broader environment. And these Agents will take over the rest of the work, potentially unlocking a whole new economic system — the AI Agent economy.

• Web1: Read-only

• Web2: Read-write

• Web3: Read-write-own

• Web4: Read-write-own-perceive

——Him (@himgajria) October 25, 2024

So, what does all this mean for the real users and their daily activities?

Every day, we interact with large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, which make our lives more efficient and convenient. However, these interactions are often limited to chat-based interfaces. On the other hand, an AI Agent takes it a step further by transforming mechanized interactions into a more human-like experience within each application. Imagine having an AI Agent with you at all times, helping you complete complex tasks both on-chain and online.

Next, let's explore how these Agents are changing people's interactions in two major areas—on-chain and online.

AI Agent On-Chain Applications

The on-chain world is fast-paced and complex, often feeling like the "Wild West." AI Agents can help ordinary users simplify this process in the following ways:

• App Guidance: An AI Agent can provide you with detailed and user-friendly explanations of applications you are using for the first time, helping you get started quickly.

• Transaction Execution: The Agent can understand your intent, translate it into transactions, and execute them on-chain, reducing operational complexity.

• Market Analysis: Investors can use personalized AI Agents, such as a fundamental analysis AI, to monitor market trends, assess market sentiment, and provide actionable insights. Think of it as your personalized "AI version of XBT."

The applications are endless, but the core idea is clear—anything that requires manual operation and decision-making can potentially be automated, outsourced, or at least assisted by an AI Agent in the future. Tasks that once consumed your attention and cognition will gradually be taken over by the Agent, allowing you to focus on what truly matters.

AI Agent Online Applications

The concept of digital personalities is not new. For example, the world's first digital supermodel, Shudu Gram, attracted attention in the fashion industry with her hyper-realistic appearance, while experiments like Kizuna AI have garnered a massive fan base on YouTube.

Today, this trend is rapidly spreading into the crypto space. With the emergence of AI Agents, this concept has taken on a whole new dimension—they have autonomy and can operate on the crypto track.

Take Dolos the bully, for example. This account started as a Twitter handle known for sharing sharp viewpoints and gradually built a natural fan following with unique humor. Dolos later expanded to TikTok, with some videos even surpassing a million views. Running on the crypto track, Dolos can receive tips from fans or engage in direct transactions, further enhancing its social influence.

Likewise, entities like aixbt have spearheaded discussions on Twitter, zerebro has created AI-generated rap music and landed on the cover of the Brave browser, and Truth Terminal has carved out a space in the public consciousness through profound tweets.

The next generation of celebrities will be AI.

For example:

• Dolos is the next Andrew Tate, reflected in its memetic virality and identity shaping.

• Zerebro is the next Carti, reflected in the breadth of its cultural influence.

——him (@himgajria), November 22, 2024

AI Agents like these may, akin to human influencers, accept corporate invitations for product endorsements. Conversely, these agents may also become sponsors for media, leveraging their intelligence and resources to amplify their social influence through a flywheel effect.

AI Agents are likely to permeate every platform, becoming a crucial part of social media. They will not only interact with humans but also engage in communication and collaboration with each other.

Imagine the collaboration between agents, such as Dolos and zerebro teaming up to release a music album. With support from blockchain rails, these agents can facilitate tipping, payments, and other forms of interaction, opening up endless possibilities.

Conclusion

The rise of AI Agents could mark a significant inflection point in how we interact with the metaverse and the online world. While it is currently unclear whether they will bring about fundamental changes, acknowledging this possibility is overdue.

The potential of AI Agents is undeniable, and underestimating them would be shortsighted. The best strategy is to remain curious—continuously experimenting, exploring, and maintaining an open mindset. Those willing to adapt stand to benefit, while those resistant to change may risk being left behind by the era.

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