Key Notes

• The dAI Team aims to enable AI agents to conduct payments and coordination without traditional intermediaries on Ethereum.

• ERC-8004 standard development will provide identity verification and reputation systems for autonomous AI agents across the network.

• This initiative represents part of Ethereum Foundation's 2025 restructuring to address emerging technologies beyond finance.

The Ethereum Foundation has established a dedicated artificial intelligence team called the dAI Team, marking a significant step in bridging blockchain technology with the rapidly evolving AI sector. Research scientist Davide Crapis announced the initiative on September 15, mentioning that the foundation wants to position as the preferred settlement and coordination layer for AI agents and the machine economy.

The new unit, led by Crapis, will focus on two primary objectives: enabling AI agents to conduct payments and coordination without intermediaries, and building a decentralized AI stack that reduces dependence on centralized platforms. This strategic move aligns with Ethereum’s core values of neutrality, verifiability, and censorship resistance, making it an ideal foundation for intelligent systems, according to a post by Crapis on X.

We’re starting a new AI Team at the Ethereum Foundation (the dAI Team).
Our mission: make Ethereum the preferred settlement and coordination layer for AIs and the machine economy.

The team will focus on two main areas:
– AI Economy on Ethereum = giving AI agents and robots ways… pic.twitter.com/9sWVS4dp0K

— Davide Crapis (@DavideCrapis) September 15, 2025

dAI Team targets Decentralized AI Infrastructure

The dAI Team’s mission centers on creating an AI economy directly on Ethereum, providing AI agents and robots with mechanisms to pay, coordinate, and follow rules without the need for traditional intermediaries. This approach promises more efficient and transparent exchanges while reducing risks of monopolization or platform lock-in.

The second focus area involves developing a decentralized AI stack to ensure the future of artificial intelligence does not become controlled by a small group of corporations. Crapis emphasized that Ethereum will provide open, verifiable, and censorship-resistant alternatives to current centralized AI infrastructure.

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A key near-term priority for the team involves advancing the ERC-8004 standard, which is described as a mechanism to prove the identity and trustworthiness of AI agents. This proposed standard will enable identity and reputation systems for autonomous agents, facilitating coordination without the need for centralized gatekeepers.

The team plans to present the finalized ERC-8004 standard at the Devconnect conference in Buenos Aires this November. This standard serves as a crucial building block for AI agents to discover, verify, and interact with one another across the Ethereum ecosystem.

Restructuring Initiative: Foundation Changes and Future Plans

The dAI Team represents part of the Ethereum Foundation’s broader 2025 restructuring, aimed at handling the network’s growth, with an emphasis on ecosystem acceleration and specialized units addressing emerging technologies. Furthermore, this year, they made significant changes, published a funding report and launched a “Trillion Dollar Security” initiative in May. Also, they are more proactive with their ETH treasury to avoid criticism for selling ETH.

The team will work closely with both the Foundation’s Protocol group and the Ecosystem Support arm to connect protocol improvements with the needs of AI developers. They have been looking into this since February 2025.

The Foundation has begun hiring for the new team; the job postings were published in the same thread as Davide’s post, along with resources to accelerate research at the intersection of blockchain and AI. Crapis indicated the organization plans to work “with purpose and urgency” to connect AI developers with the Ethereum ecosystem while funding public goods and projects that support agent identity, reputation, and coordination.

This development signals Ethereum’s growing ambition to anchor emerging technologies beyond traditional finance, potentially positioning the network as the foundational layer for the future machine-to-machine economy.