Ethereum dAI Unveils ERC-8004 & x402 for AI Payments
Ethereum dAI has launched a decentralized AI team led by Davide Crapis to position Ethereum as the premier settlement and coordination layer for autonomous AI agents. Ethereum dAI proposed the ERC-8004 standard for trustless AI agent identity and interaction verification and introduced x402, a native encrypted payments protocol integrated with Google’s A2A.
Major tool providers MetaMask and ConsenSys have pledged support for x402 multi-asset, multi-chain payments, while DINBuild has deployed x402 micro-payments for autonomous RPC access. Ethereum and Virtuals are hosting developer workshops to accelerate real-world deployments. These efforts aim to decentralize AI infrastructure and the AI economy, strengthen on-chain settlement, reinforce Ethereum’s neutrality, and potentially drive ETH demand.
Bullish
The launch of Ethereum dAI’s decentralized AI team, proposed ERC-8004 standard, and x402 payment protocol is likely to boost Ether demand by driving new on-chain use cases and developer activity. In the short term, partnerships with MetaMask and ConsenSys and the deployment of x402 micro-payments could increase transaction volumes and gas usage. Over the long term, establishing Ethereum as the go-to settlement layer for AI agents strengthens network utility, supports the machine economy, and underpins sustained ETH adoption and price appreciation.