Coinbase CEO says AI expansion raises crypto value in symbiotic relationship
[DigitalToday reporter Jinju Hong] Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong (브라이언 암스트롱) pushed back against the view that the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) will shrink the cryptocurrency market, arguing that the spread of AI will instead increase the need for blockchain and crypto.
On July 27 local time, blockchain outlet U.Today reported that Armstrong said on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, that it is a wrong approach to view AI and crypto as competitors.
He said he has heard such claims before but called them a wrong way to look at the world, describing them as “zero sum, scarcity thinking.” He said crypto’s role does not diminish even if investment money, talent and public attention shift to AI.
Armstrong defined cryptocurrency as a general-purpose technology like the internet, saying it is not something that competes with new trendy technologies but an underlying technology that supports them. He projected that the spread of AI agents will expand crypto use. “AI agents need their own financial infrastructure, and eventually their daily transaction volume will exceed all human transactions combined,” he said.
Coinbase said it is building financial infrastructure for AI agents to respond to such changes. Armstrong said, “We have pioneered this field through the x402 protocol, Base and USDC, and they currently support a significant portion of AI agent payments.”
This is seen as a plan to develop cryptocurrency not as a simple investment asset but into core payment and settlement infrastructure that enables AI to conduct transactions and payments autonomously.
Armstrong’s remarks came amid a market trend of investment money concentrating in AI. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said global AI companies attracted about $259 billion in venture capital investment in 2025, accounting for 61 percent of total VC investment. In the United States, 41 percent of total venture investment flowed into AI startups, and major AI companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic secured large-scale fundraising.
By contrast, analysts say the investment environment for crypto-focused venture funds has become tougher than before. Galaxy Research analyzed that fundraising conditions for crypto-centric venture capital funds deteriorated as investment money moved into AI. The number of crypto venture investment deals has also fallen to the lowest level in about 5 years, it said.
Some in the market also raise the possibility that AI and crypto will form a complementary relationship rather than compete. That is because AI agents need blockchain-based digital payment infrastructure to independently carry out payments and asset transfers.
The convergence of AI and crypto remains at an early stage, but Armstrong made clear his view that the role of blockchain, stablecoins and on-chain payment systems will expand as the AI era gathers pace.
A key point to watch is how quickly AI agent payments spread in real service environments. Coinbase is moving to pre-empt the related market with Base, USDC and the x402 protocol, but whether such infrastructure will translate into new crypto demand remains at a stage that still needs verification.
“If you’re in crypto, pivot to AI.”
I used to hear versions of this, and it’s the wrong way to think about the world. It’s zero sum, scarcity thinking.
Crypto is a general purpose technology. It’s infrastructure, the same way electricity or the internet is infrastructure. It…”
