Ethereum Foundation Unveils Ambitious AI Plan For 2026

The Ethereum Foundation has unveiled an ambitious plan to make the network the foundational infrastructure for decentralized commerce among artificial intelligence (AI) agents. 

The plan introduces the ERC-8004 and x402 standards to coordinate autonomous agents under open, auditable, and intermediary-free rules. 

Ethereum Foundation Unveils AI Plan 

The Ethereum Foundation has released an ambitious roadmap to develop infrastructure that will allow decentralized finance (DeFi) between artificial intelligence agents by 2026. The roadmap aims to position Ethereum as the base layer for coordination and settlement in the emerging machine economy. The plan, led by Davide Crapis and the dAI development team, outlines a framework where autonomous agents and bots can verify tasks, transact, and collaborate under open and auditable rules. The plan also aims to prevent the cornering of AI commerce by closed systems, and guarantees a transparent and traceable governance system. Crapis stated in a post on X, 

“Working with EF leadership on the dAI Team 2026 roadmap. Huge thanks to the growing community around ERC-8004 and x402 alongside. Together, we’re shaping agentic commerce the right way.”

Two New Standards 

The 2026 plan and development primarily focus on two new standards: ERC-8004 and x402. ERC-8004 establishes the interoperability structure for intelligent agents (AI agents), while x-402 defines the coordination protocol between intelligent agents within the Ethereum ecosystem. ERC-8004 and x402 are both designed to become neutral standards for automated AI commerce, similar to how the ERC-20 standard powered DeFi and the ERC-721 standard developed the NFT market. 

Base Layer For AI Coordination 

According to Crapis, collaboration will be a key factor, and Ethereum must act as the foundational layer for global decentralized AI coordination. 

“Ethereum must serve as the foundational architecture for global decentralized AI coordination. Agents require open and verifiable rules—without them, closed platforms will dominate the system.”

Ethereum’s AI plan has received widespread support from key industry figures. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin highlighted that the blockchain could become the foundational layer of the machine economy. Meanwhile, Binance’s Changpeng Zhao described it as a decisive step towards achieving autonomous system integration. 

According to sources, the Ethereum Foundation aims for its 2026 roadmap to replicate the impact of its previous standards by extending the framework to artificial intelligence. The Ethereum Foundation aims to establish an interoperable environment where AI agents can trade, coordinate, and validate actions without relying on third-party intermediaries.

Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.