Ethereum News Today: Ethereum aims to become the trust layer for a decentralized AI economy

Ethereum is preparing for a future where millions of AI agents can interact without intermediaries by advancing the proposed ERC-8004 standard, known as Trustless Agents. Introduced by Davide Crapis, this initiative builds on the Agent-to-Agent (A2A) protocol and adds a trust layer to allow AI agents to discover, choose, and interact across organizational boundaries without prior trust [1]. The standard introduces three lightweight on-chain registries—Identity, Reputation, and Validation—which provide a verifiable anchor for agent identity, an immutable record of behavior, and proofs of action, respectively [1]. These registries operate on-chain while leaving application-specific logic to off-chain components.

The proposed standard is seen as a critical step in positioning Ethereum as a foundational infrastructure for AI, not for running AI models directly but for providing a secure and tamper-proof ledger [1]. This aligns with growing concerns about data control and trust in centralized platforms like Google APIs. By enabling autonomous AI agents to transact, negotiate, and form coalitions—potentially even decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs)—ERC-8004 aims to facilitate a “machine economy” [1]. An anonymous Ethereum Foundation member, known as Binji, emphasized that the standard allows for the skeleton of trust to live on Ethereum while specifics can remain off-chain [1].

The Trustless Agents proposal sits at the intersection of two rapidly evolving sectors: decentralized technologies and artificial intelligence [1]. With the A2A protocol already developed by Google and its 50+ partners, the Ethereum community is working closely with the Linux Foundation to refine the ERC-8004 specification [1]. This collaboration highlights the collaborative nature of the development process and underscores Ethereum’s role as a decentralized infrastructure provider.

As the standard moves toward implementation, developers are addressing scalability through Ethereum’s Layer 2 solutions [1]. This is crucial for supporting the anticipated scale of AI agent interactions. If adopted, ERC-8004 could significantly reshape Ethereum’s role in the broader blockchain ecosystem, moving it beyond a smart contract platform to a decentralized trust layer for autonomous systems [1]. The Ethereum community remains cautiously optimistic, viewing the proposal as a critical step toward a decentralized AI economy [1].

While ERC-8004 is still in the public discussion phase, the Ethereum Foundation and the broader developer community are focused on ensuring its efficiency and adaptability [1]. The potential impact of Trustless Agents is not limited to Ethereum but extends to the broader blockchain landscape, where trustless and decentralized systems are increasingly seen as a solution to current data governance challenges [1]. As the technology matures, it is expected to gain significant traction, especially in industries where autonomous decision-making and secure data handling are essential [1].

Source:

[1] Ethereum Community Buzzed with Trustless Agents (ERC-...) (https://www.cryptotimes.io/2025/08/19/ethereum-community-buzzed-with-trustless-agents-erc-8004-discussion/)