AI to Boost Crypto Adoption through Programmable Digital Payments
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong predicts that artificial intelligence (AI) will drive cryptocurrency adoption by generating demand for programmable digital payments. He believes that AI will make blockchain technology the backbone of finance for autonomous systems, where AI agents buy data, computing power, and digital services without human intervention.
Armstrong argues that cryptocurrency is a general-purpose technology, like electricity or the internet, which is infrastructure for the digital economy. He notes that AI gives rise to programmable intelligence and that cryptocurrency is programmable money, complementing each other in the process.
Coinbase has been working on building machine payment infrastructure throughout 2026, including the x402 protocol and Base, an Ethereum Layer 2 blockchain developed by Coinbase. The protocol enables automated payment requests between software applications, while Base increases transaction speed and reduces costs. Armstrong predicts that most machine-executed payments will be enabled by Base, USDC (a stablecoin created by Circle), and x402 by 2026.
The use of stablecoins like USDC is crucial in the agentic economy, as they offer programmable settlement that's easily accessible to software without banking restrictions. Armstrong notes that AI agents cannot comply with banking requirements for human beings, such as authentication and account creation, making stablecoins vital components of the agentic economy.