AI Agents Get IDs on Ethereum: It’s Like Tinder for Robots!

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Key Highlights (Because Who Reads the Whole Thing?)

  • ERC-8004 gives AI agents IDs and reputations, so they can finally stop pretending to be trustworthy.
  • Ethereum becomes the Switzerland of AI-neutral, boring, but necessary.
  • With payment protocols like x402, ERC-8004 is basically Venmo for robots. Who’s splitting the bill?

Ethereum is rolling out ERC-8004, a new protocol that gives AI agents identities and reputations. Think of it as a driver’s license for robots, but without the awkward DMV photos. This solves the trust problem-because, let’s face it, AI agents are sketchy.

According to Ethereum’s official X post, “ERC-8004 is going live on mainnet soon. It’s like LinkedIn for AI agents, but hopefully with fewer cringy self-promotion posts.” Davide Crapis, Ethereum Foundation’s AI Lead, said Ethereum is uniquely positioned to manage AI interactions because, apparently, humans can’t be trusted either.

ERC-8004 is going live on mainnet soon.

It’s like if AI agents got a passport but didn’t have to deal with airport security.

This unlocks a global market where AI services can interoperate without pesky humans meddling.

– Ethereum (@ethereum) January 27, 2026

A Neutral Trust Layer for AI (Because AI Can’t Trust AI)

ERC-8004, also known as “Trustless Agents,” solves the trust problem in AI coordination. Autonomous agents can now discover, verify, and assess each other without resorting to awkward blind dates.

The Identity Registry gives each AI agent a unique ID using NFTs-because nothing says identity like a JPEG of a cartoon ape. The Reputation Registry tracks feedback from clients, so AI agents can finally get a Yelp review. The Validation Registry lets outside parties check an agent’s work, which is basically like having a robot boss.

ERC-8004 was proposed in August 2025 by Ethereum Foundation, MetaMask, Google, and Coinbase. It keeps costs low and lets developers create their own trust systems-because who doesn’t love reinventing the wheel?

– Vitto Rivabella (@VittoStack) January 9, 2026

Rapid Adoption (Because Everyone Loves Bandwagons)

ERC-8004 has seen strong early adoption. Davide Crapis shared that 1,000 to 2,000 builders are already working on projects based on the standard. MetaMask has integrated it, and over 70 projects have built agent browsers-because who doesn’t need another app?

Coinbase’s x402 payment protocol, which facilitates payments between AI agents, saw a transaction volume growth of 10,000% in October 2025. That’s a lot of robot allowances.

Why This Matters (Because You Asked)

This launch positions Ethereum as the TCP/IP for AI agents-basically the backbone of the robot internet. As developer binji noted on X, “Civilizations scale because humans are capable of implicit trust. AI agents are not; their only path to building an agentic society is through a ledger of shared truth…aka a blockchain.”

Civilizations scale because humans are capable of implicit trust, AI agents are not; their only path to building an agentic society is through a ledger of shared truth..aka a blockchain.

ERC 8004 cements Ethereum and its L2s as that blockchain.

Let a thousand societies bloom.

– binji (@binji_x) January 27, 2026

With contributions from Google, Coinbase, and MetaMask, ERC-8004 shows how Ethereum can provide a shared framework for AI agents to work together-because teamwork makes the dream work, even for robots.

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2026-01-29 09:45