Ethereum Foundation (Ef) creates a dedicated artificial intelligence (AI) Group to make Ethereum the settlement and coordination layer for what it calls the “machine economy”, according to researcher Davide Crapis.
Crapis, who announced the initiative on Monday on X, said the new DAI team will pursue two priorities: To enable AI agents to pay and coordinate without intermediaries and build a decentralized AI stack that avoids dependence on a small number of large companies. He said that Ethereum’s neutrality, verifiable and censorship resistance makes it a natural base layer for intelligent systems.
Ethereum Foundation Background
EF is a non-profit organization based in Zug, Switzerland that finances and coordinates the development of Ethereum Blockchain. It does not control the network but plays a catalytic role in supporting researchers, developers and ecosystem projects.
Its launch includes financing upgrades such as Ethereum 2.0, zero-knowledge proof and LAG-2 scaling along with community programs such as ECOSYSTEMASTE SUPPORT PROGRAM. The fund also organizes events such as Devcon to promote collaboration and acts as a political spokesman for Blockchain -Reconciliation.
In 2025, the EC restructured to deal with Ethereum’s growth and emphasize ecosystem acceleration, founder support and business development. The new DAI team represents a continuation of this shift against specialized devices that address new technologies.
Crapis’ role
Crapis is a researcher at the EC and will lead the new DAI team. He said the group will connect its work with both the EC protocol group and its ecosystem support arm.
“Ethereum makes AI more reliable, and AI makes Ethereum more useful,” he wrote, adding that the team intends to finance public goods and projects at the intersection of AI and Blockchains.
ERC-8004 and trust standards
The group will build on the recent work around the ERC-8004, a proposed Ethereum standard, which Crapis described as a way of proving who an AI agent is and whether it can trust. By offering identity and reputation systems for autonomous agents, the standard is intended to allow coordination without centralized portguards.
Crapis said the team will support new standards and upgrades when they emerge, guided by Ethereum’s values and “D/ACC” philosophy about decentralized acceleration. The goal, he explained, is to ensure that AI development remains open and verifiable, while giving people greater agency over how intelligent systems interact with the economy.
Why it matters
For Ethereum, the move signals a growing ambition to anchor new technologies in addition to financing.
If AI agents start shopping on a scale, demand can grow into settlement rails, reputation systems and standards running native at Ethereum. For the AI community, the initiative offers an alternative to centralized platforms that are currently dominating AI infrastructure.
“The more intelligent agents act, the more they need a neutral base layer for value and reputation,” Crapis said. “Ethereum benefits from becoming the layer and AI benefits of escaping lock-in to a few centralized platforms.”
The team has begun to hire and publish resources, according to Crapis. He said the EC intends to work “with the purpose and urgent” to connect AI developers with the Ethereum -Ecosystem and to speed up research at the border of the two fields.
