AI agents are starting to use a cryptographic wallet, blurring the boundaries between DeFi and automated finance.

BlockBeats News, June 15th, as the "Agentic AI" capability enhances, AI systems are transitioning from informational tools to agents of executable economic behavior, becoming able to connect to crypto wallets and engage in on-chain operations. Research indicates that such AI agents could be used in the future to monitor portfolios, initiate trades, pay service fees, and execute DeFi strategies, but currently, most are still in a "human-in-the-loop" controlled stage.

Due to the blockchain's characteristics such as 24/7 operation, lack of reliance on traditional banking identity systems, and programmable execution, it is considered more suitable for AI agents to perform micropayments and automatic settlements compared to traditional financial systems. However, this also introduces new risks, including oracle injection attacks, erroneous transaction execution, permission misuse, and smart contract interaction security issues.

The industry is constructing "agent wallets" to delimit AI behavior boundaries through whitelisting, limit controls, multi-signature mechanisms, and time-based permissions. Analysis suggests that a more likely scenario in the future is a "restricted autonomy" mode, where AI carries out tasks within established rules, rather than having full autonomous control over funds.

In the long term, AI agents may engage in direct on-chain transactions, such as purchasing data, computing power, or API services, transforming wallets into machine identities and payment interfaces. Yet, regulatory compliance and accountability remain core unresolved issues.