BlackRock said the spread of artificial intelligence agents could increase demand for cryptocurrencies, as software rather than retail investors may become a major source of demand. It said card networks and ACH systems are built around human onboarding, are inefficient for micro-payments and can be slow to settle. It highlighted blockchain-based payment rails as suited to high-frequency, sub-cent machine-to-machine transactions, while distinguishing stablecoins for daily payments and bitcoin for long-term value storage.

LG Uplus will work with Hyundai Elevator to enhance an AI-based remote monitoring system for elevators. The companies signed an agreement on Sept. 15 in Seoul to cooperate on wireless services and AI and security for a smart remote monitoring platform. They plan to apply LG Uplus machine-to-machine services to communications between elevators and Hyundai Elevator’s MIRI platform and to test an emergency call model using AI voice recognition.