The Ethereum ecosystem is buzzing with discussions over ERC-8004, a newly proposed standard called Trustless Agents, designed to enable autonomous AI agents to interact seamlessly on Ethereum’s decentralized network.
The proposal was introduced by Davide Crapis of the Ethereum Foundation, who described ERC-8004 as an extension of the Agent-to-Agent (A2A) protocol with a new trust layer. This layer would let AI agents discover, choose, and interact across organizational boundaries without needing pre-existing trust.
“ERC-8004 introduces three lightweight, on-chain registries—Identity, Reputation, and Validation—which provide the skeleton of trust while leaving application-specific logic off-chain,” Crapis explained in a recent Magicians post.
The initiative positions it, not as a place to run AI models directly but as a tamper-proof coordination layer. This contrasts with reliance on centralized providers such as Google APIs or corporate data platforms, which critics argue limit openness and neutrality.
Ethereum insiders believe the standard could power a new machine economy, where millions of autonomous AI agents transact, negotiate, and form DAOs. An Ethereum Foundation contributor, known as Binji, noted: “The specifics can stay offchain, but the skeleton of trust lives on it.”
As the proposal undergoes public review, developers are collaborating with the Linux Foundation and A2A stakeholders to refine its specifications. If adopted, ERC-8004 could become a cornerstone for a decentralized AI economy, blending the growth of blockchain with the rise of autonomous agents.
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