Tether Launches AI Platform Supporting USDT, Bitcoin Payments

Tether, the leading stablecoin issuer, has announced that its upcoming artificial intelligence platform, Tether AI, will support payments in major cryptocurrencies, including USDT and Bitcoin. This development was revealed by Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino on May 5, who highlighted the platform's integration with USDT and Bitcoin payments, enabling users to conduct transactions through a peer-to-peer (P2P) network.

Tether AI is designed to offer "personal infinite intelligence" and is part of the company's broader strategy to expand its footprint in artificial intelligence. The platform will feature a fully open-source AI runtime that operates on an unstoppable P2P network, ensuring it is fully modular and composable. This approach eliminates the need for application programming interface (API) keys and centralized control points, providing users with greater autonomy and control over their transactions.

Ask Aime: How will Tether AI disrupt the cryptocurrency payment landscape?

Ardoino emphasized that Tether AI will be capable of adapting and evolving on any hardware and device, making it a versatile tool for users across different platforms. The platform's P2P crypto payments will be infused with Tether's open-source wallet development kit (WDK), launched in November 2024. The WDK enables developers to build mobile, desktop, and web wallet applications, facilitating self-custodial holding of USDT and Bitcoin. Unlike custodial wallets, self-custodial solutions allow users to control their assets completely, eliminating the need for third-party custody solutions.

Tether's initiative to develop Tether AI builds on its December 2024 announcement, which revealed plans to create a website for the AI tool with a target launch by the end of the first quarter of 2025. This move aligns with Tether's broader strategy to introduce new divisions beyond stablecoin development, including Tether Data, a dedicated unit focused on AI and P2P development. In February, Ardoino announced that Tether's AI division was working on a series of AI apps, including AI Translate, AI Voice Assistant, and AI Bitcoin Wallet Assistant.

Ardoino's vision for Tether AI is to provide the "ideal technological foundation" to achieve the vision of AI described by Isaac Asimov, one of the most influential science fiction authors known for works such as I, Robot and The Robot Series. According to Ardoino, AI will become an integral part of the universe in the coming decades, underscoring the significance of Tether's investment in this technology.