Yat Siu: "50 Billion AI Agents Will Live on the Blockchain"
Animoca Brands Chairman Yat Siu predicts a future with "30 to 50 billion AI agents operating online." In a recent interview, he argued these agents won't reside on centralized platforms like Facebook or Google, but will instead "live on the blockchain." Siu also noted that institutional ETF buying is fueling Bitcoin's transition from a risk asset to a safe-haven asset, while retail investors remain on the sidelines.
Yat Siu's vision of a blockchain-native AI future is rooted in the principle of digital ownership. He argues that Web3 provides the necessary framework for AI agents to operate with true autonomy, owning their own data and assets, a stark contrast to the centralized model of Web2 where platforms own user-generated content. This aligns with Animoca Brands' core mission to advance digital property rights for a more equitable internet. Animoca Brands is actively building this future through initiatives like Mocaverse, an NFT collection that doubles as a membership pass to their ecosystem of over 600 portfolio companies. Mocaverse aims to establish a decentralized identity system, Moca ID, allowing users and their AI agents to interact seamlessly across different blockchain applications and games, accumulating reputation and value. Siu himself already utilizes over 50 "AnimocaMinds" agents for tasks ranging from travel scheduling to investor management. The concept of Decentralized AI (DeAI) is gaining traction, with projects like Bittensor (TAO), Fetch.ai (FET), and Ocean Protocol (OCEAN) creating open marketplaces for AI services and data. These platforms leverage blockchain to facilitate transparent and secure interactions between AI models, data providers, and users, fostering a collaborative approach to AI development. In decentralized finance (DeFi), AI agents are already being deployed to automate complex trading strategies, optimize yield farming, and enhance security by monitoring for suspicious on-chain activity. This fusion, sometimes called DeFAI, aims to abstract away the complexities of DeFi, allowing users to achieve financial goals by simply stating their intent and letting autonomous agents execute the necessary transactions. Siu predicts 2026 will be the "year of utility" for blockchain, driven by AI agents that solve the technology's user experience challenges. He envisions a future where cumbersome elements like gas fees and private keys are handled in the background by AI, making Web3 applications as user-friendly as their Web2 counterparts. While institutional interest in Bitcoin is growing through regulated products like ETFs, with spot Bitcoin ETFs holding approximately 6% of the total supply as of March 2026, retail investor engagement appears to be lagging. Research from Binance suggests that a significant portion of ETF inflows may be existing crypto investors moving to a more regulated structure, rather than a wave of new retail capital. This divergence is noted by analysts who see institutions accumulating assets while retail sentiment remains fearful.
