Dominic Williams points to ICP as AI agents move towards machine-native payments

DFINITY founder Dominic Williams has pointed to the Internet Computer as an example of infrastructure that could allow AI agents to use digital payment rails to access computing resources.

Williams made the comment in response to BlackRock research examining the growing connection between artificial intelligence and digital assets. BlackRock’s research argues that AI agents could increasingly need automated ways to pay for data, services and computing capacity, with stablecoins and blockchain networks potentially providing the underlying infrastructure.

“Today, there’s only 1 cloud platform where agents can use digital rails to pay for their private compute: the Internet Computer | ICP,” Williams wrote.

His comment places the Internet Computer directly into a discussion that is increasingly centred on how autonomous AI systems could interact with digital infrastructure without relying on people to handle every transaction.

BlackRock’s research describes AI as bringing “machine-native intelligence” while digital assets can provide machine-native payment and settlement infrastructure. It also points to computing capacity as a potential future market, where standardised contracts could eventually allow compute to be bought, sold or financed through digital asset infrastructure.

The research does not suggest that such a compute market is already established. BlackRock notes that standardised contracts and liquid markets for computing capacity are still developing.

Williams’ argument centres on what the Internet Computer already provides. The platform describes itself as a serverless cloud where software can run on independently operated compute nodes, with applications and their data hosted directly on the network. Its current development direction also includes infrastructure designed for AI agents to build, host and operate applications.

The DFINITY founder’s comment therefore frames ICP as a specific example of the infrastructure being discussed in the wider AI and digital asset debate. Whether AI agents will eventually transact autonomously for computing at meaningful scale remains an open question, as the underlying markets, applications and payment systems continue to develop.

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