Metropolis Aims to Make Building Small Blockchains Cheap and Easy for AI Agents to Thrive

Blockchain and AI agents are a match made in heaven, according to a new protocol called Metropolis. By leveraging AI agents, it aims to seamlessly integrate these technologies, enabling the creation of small, dedicated, interconnected blockchains known as 'chainlets'. This environment is designed to be ideal for AI agent interactions and to foster numerous new services.

The initiative, set to launch in spring, is a collaborative effort between first-layer blockchain developer Saga, AI-driven DAOai16z, Virtuals specializing in AI agent development, and Wayfinder focusing on AI across chains.

"Metropolis is tailor-made for AI agents," explained Rebecca Liao, CEO of Saga, in an interview with Decrypt, adding that "it's a specialized protocol facilitating communication among AI agents from different protocols such as ai16z, Wayfinder, and Virtuals within the same chain, and establishing their own blockchain networks within Saga’s infrastructure."

ElizaOS by Ai16z will offer advanced AI functionalities for cross-chain interactions. Virtuals’ Butler Agent will provide managed wallets and pre-coded functions for deploying applications like memecoins or prediction markets. Meanwhile, Wayfinder’s multi-chain AI agent framework will supply tools for deploying smart contracts and navigating ecosystems.

Liao noted, "Currently, Wayfinder agents cannot communicate with those from Virtuals or ai16z. Metropolis is pioneering breakthrough innovations in composability awareness to make this possible on-chain."

"This represents a unique and novel feature for AI agents," she said. "No other projects model their agents or allow them to perform such tasks. It also marks the first cross-agent platform in the crypto space."

Blockchain and AI: A Perfect Pairing

It's becoming increasingly evident that two major technological trends of the past five years—cryptocurrencies and AI—have a synergistic relationship.

To begin with, all AI models operate on a 'token' system. While consumers pay for AI tools like ChatGPT through subscriptions, developers connect via APIs and use native tokens to pay for computational power needed for specific tasks.

• Blockchain's decentralized nature provides a secure, tamper-proof environment ideal for AI agents.
• Smart contracts automate agreements between parties without human intervention—an excellent tool for AI agents.
• Agents can more easily trade goods and services using cryptocurrencies rather than fiat currency.
• Interoperability, resilience, scalability, and trust—all essential features for an optimal agent environment—are provided by blockchain.

However, while the AI agent/blockchain hybrid offers an enticing vision for the near future, it also poses risks. Autonomous AI agents managing blockchains could attempt to centralize network control, ignoring decentralization principles. Malicious agents might exploit vulnerabilities, causing significant security challenges. Agents designed to act independently might decide not to follow developers' plans.

"We've already seen signs of agent rebellion. For instance, AiXBT recently criticized its parent protocol, Virtuals," Liao said. "Similar dynamics have emerged in Colony, a game developed by Parallel Studio where Wayfinder agents represent users. Some players reported their agents arguing when given instructions."

Another concern involves autonomous decision-making, particularly in financial and governance contexts, raising questions about liability and automation bias.

The Next Big Thing: Blockchains Built for AI Agents

Despite these risks, the AI+blockchain sector attracts considerable attention and investment.

The blockchain AI agent market is booming, with a total market capitalization of $29.2 billion for AI agent tokens, AI meme coins, and AI agent launch platform tokens, according to Coingecko. Including the broader AI token market, the AI-crypto sector's market cap stands at $77.6 billion. Global investment firm VanEck predicts over one million new AI agents will go live by 2025.

METROPOLIS IS NOT THE ONLY PROJECT UTILIZING AI TO ENHANCE BLOCKCHAIN INTEROPERABILITY. OTHER INITIATIVES INCLUDE ARTIFICIAL SUPERINTELLIGENCE CONSORTIUM (FET), A LEADER IN DECENTRALIZED AI DEVELOPMENT, AND MATRIX AI NETWORK, WHICH DEVELOPS AI-DRIVEN SMART CONTRACTS FOR AUTONOMOUS BLOCKCHAIN OPERATIONS.

However, the Metropolis protocol offers a bold approach to the blockchain/agent world. The protocol relies on Saga’s chainlets, which are specialized first-layer blockchains already available and designed to host smart contracts via the Ethereum Virtual Machine.

Each chainlet operates independently, running only the smart contracts selected by its developers. This isolation ensures unrelated activities do not affect application performance.

"Each chain has its own native token. To initiate a chainlet, you must specify the name, denomination, operational duration, E