[DigitalToday reporter Hyunwoo Choo (추현우)] BlackRock said the spread of artificial intelligence could instead increase demand for cryptocurrencies. On Sept. 23, local time, blockchain outlet U.Today said BlackRock noted in a recent report that AI and crypto started in different areas but are increasingly converging through the financial system.

BlackRock focused on the idea that autonomous software can plan and execute multi-step tasks, interact with external services and even handle financial transactions. It defined digital assets as money suitable for machines.

BlackRock pointed to stablecoins as direct beneficiaries. It said the existing ACH payment network also supports automation, but is less suitable for micropayments and always-on payments due to onboarding procedures and various constraints. By contrast, it said stablecoins can be transferred 24 hours a day, making them a better fit for always-on payments by AI agents.

BlackRock cited Coinbase's x402 as a promising example. It also presented Stripe and OpenAI's agentic commerce protocol, Google's agent payment protocol and Visa's trusted agent protocol. With many major stablecoins operating on public blockchains such as Ethereum, it said AI-driven payment demand could lift demand for such networks.

Beyond payments, BlackRock said massive computing resources needed for AI could lead to new digital assets. Because AI models require large-scale GPUs and expensive data centre infrastructure, it said a new market for standardised claims on future computing capacity could emerge. BlackRock said such contracts could be represented on-chain, like existing commodity markets.