Mingle Berry Media brings AI payment standard x402 to the Internet Computer

Website owners on the Internet Computer could soon have a new way to earn revenue from AI companies accessing their content, following the release of an open-source implementation of the x402 payment standard by Mingle Berry Media.

The company has introduced a free module that enables websites built on the Internet Computer to request payment in USDC before AI bots or automated services access their content. The approach is based on the emerging x402 standard, which is designed to support machine-to-machine payments across the web.

According to Mingle Berry Media, the module allows payments to be made directly to an address controlled by the website’s own canister, with no custodial involvement from the developer. The company says funds remain under the site owner’s control throughout the process.

The release extends the x402 standard to the Internet Computer ecosystem. While the protocol has already attracted support from technology and payments companies exploring automated digital transactions, including Cloudflare, Mastercard, Visa, AWS and Stellar, its availability on the Internet Computer gives developers in the network access to the same payment model.

The idea behind x402 is to replace free, unrestricted access by automated AI systems with a mechanism that enables websites to charge for content. As AI models continue to rely on large volumes of online information, developers and publishers have been exploring ways to ensure content creators receive compensation when their material is accessed by automated systems.

Mingle Berry Media says the module can be added to existing Internet Computer websites without requiring a migration to a different platform. The company also plans to include the feature by default in future website migrations it carries out for clients.

One early adopter is content creator Jerry Banfield, who is already using the module on his Internet Computer-based website, according to Mingle Berry Media. The company says the implementation works independently and can be integrated into existing projects.

The announcement comes as interest grows in programmable payments between software agents, an area many in the technology sector believe will become increasingly important as AI-powered services become more common. Standards such as x402 aim to provide a consistent way for applications, bots and digital services to exchange value without relying on traditional payment workflows.

Whether x402 becomes widely adopted will depend on support from AI service providers, publishers and developers across multiple ecosystems. For Internet Computer projects, the new open-source module provides an opportunity to experiment with the model while giving website owners another option for managing access to their content.