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The future is approaching at an astonishing pace—possibly sooner than we anticipate—when AI agents will not just assist us but undertake tasks we once thought impossible. These tasks range from booking travel and negotiating contracts to managing financial transactions and even starting businesses.
In this episode of the Moneyweb Crypto Podcast, Carel de Jager, CEO of the blockchain analytics company Silver Sixpence, narrates the captivating story of Truth Terminal, an AI agent that generated substantial profits by launching a memecoin after being instructed to “make money.”
Truth Terminal is a pioneering AI project developed by Kiwi researcher Andy Ayrey.
Charged with achieving full autonomy and generating revenue, the agent secured a $50,000 grant (in stablecoins and bitcoin) from influential venture capitalist Marc Andreessen.
It built a social presence on platforms such as Twitter/X and Reddit, participated in discussions, and—recognizing the quickest route to wealth—hired developers to create a memecoin on Solana.
Read:
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The resultant GOAT (Goatseus Maximus) memecoin soared in popularity, sometimes achieving valuations in the hundreds of millions, peaking at nearly $1 billion in market cap, and reportedly generating $100 million for the Truth Terminal wallet.
The agentic economy might surpass the human economy
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De Jager predicts that the agentic economy could be thousands of times larger than our current human economy.
For example, autonomous self-driving cars executing micro-payments in real-time when one vehicle needs to overtake another during a time-sensitive trip to the airport represents a practice absent from the human economy but bound to thrive in the AI-agentic economy. While the human economy faces a labor ceiling, the agentic economy remains unconstrained.
“In the AI sector, we observe gigawatts of computing power being deployed almost daily. The numbers are staggering. Our human brains produce approximately 20 watts of compute, and are highly inefficient.
“I once took pride in my writing skills, which now seem trivial. It’s perplexing how something that held value three years ago can be rendered worthless today. What does this suggest about the future, and what will have value going forward? As an entrepreneur in software development, I feel the pulse of this transformation.
“I believe that future value will be found in human experiences, which will always matter. To remain relevant, you must effectively harness AI. Even in white-collar professions, being an exceptionally skilled AI user is crucial. Additionally, the concept of digital scarcity, as seen with bitcoin, is evident. However, the essence of human connection will endure in importance.”
Read/listen:
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Signs of growth are already apparent, with agent-driven web traffic now exceeding that of human users.
Key players like a16z, Coinbase, Visa, and Mastercard are making substantial investments and promoting agentic payments. However, the exact moment for economic dominance remains uncertain.
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Understanding Your Agent
Instead of the traditional Know Your Customer (KYC), regulators will need to establish Know Your Agent (KYA) protocols to evaluate the dependability and reliability of agents entering the economy.
As agents lack bank accounts, De Jager foresees a strong inclination toward cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, and bitcoin—forms of digital currency that operate without the necessity for identity verification.
Silver Sixpence is already positioning itself in this domain, providing compliance and analytics solutions like sanction screening and reputation scoring via KYA.
Compliance is a critical hurdle.
Regulators and traditional banks struggle with non-human entities, and De Jager is skeptical they will adapt quickly enough. This gap presents opportunities for nimble startups and jurisdictional arbitrage, potentially driving innovation away from regions like South Africa.
Read/listen:
Are regulators hampering crypto innovation?
Transitioning into the age of decentralized currency
Let’s be bold and eliminate exchange controls – Farzam Ehsani
While this future may seem daunting, De Jager believes that humanity will learn to adapt and thrive in this evolving landscape.
For previous episodes of the Moneyweb Crypto Pod, click here.
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