AI Agents to Unlock Web3 Potential, Outlier Ventures

Web3, the decentralized internet, was initially designed for machines rather than humans, which has limited its widespread adoption due to its complexity. However, the emergence of AI agents as autonomous economic actors is poised to unlock the full potential of Web3. These agents can execute tasks, manage assets, and transact on behalf of users, optimizing the decentralized infrastructure for machine-driven execution and coordination.

For the past decade, decentralized systems and applications have been in a testing phase. While millions engage with blockchain networks and decentralized applications, only a small fraction actively use them as alternatives to centralized platforms. This is not due to a lack of capability in Web3 technology but rather its usability challenges and inherent complexity. Web3 was never designed for human users at scale; it was designed for machines. Now, with AI agents emerging, the sleeping giant of Web3 functionality is waking up.

AI agents thrive in complexity, processing vast amounts of information and automating intricate workflows. They can seamlessly integrate with smart contracts, optimize for efficiency, and execute transactions without friction. This means that for the first time, Web3 will have users who can fully leverage its capabilities. AI agents will interact with decentralized infrastructure, allowing Web3 to operate at the scale it was always meant to.

The Post Web tech stack, a term coined by Outlier Ventures, is undergoing two critical transformations. The first is optimizing the existing Web3 stack for AI agents, upgrading decentralized infrastructure to support machine-driven transactions and autonomous coordination. The second is building out a new agentic layer on top, a new computational and coordination layer for hosting, managing, and orchestrating AI agents that handle social and economic activity on behalf of users.

The Post Web stack consists of three core layers. The first is the Agentic Layer, where AI agents act as personalized digital intermediaries, executing transactions, managing assets, and making complex economic decisions. Users will express intent-based, high-level goals, and agents will handle the rest. Smart wallets will evolve into sovereign identity hubs, storing personal data, assets, and permissions, allowing agents to act with precision. This shift means that individuals will delegate actions to sovereign AI, giving them complete control while eliminating the need for direct interactions with complex systems.

The second layer is the Trust Layer, where smart contracts and decentralized ledger technology (DLT) provide deterministic, verifiable environments for AI agents to execute real-world tasks. Smart