Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin says AI can supply creativity and expertise but not trust, and that blockchains can fill the gap. Data on registered AI agents shows Ethereum hosting a share of them, while agent payments remain small.
Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin argued on CNBC on October 7, 2026 that AI and crypto will eventually merge into a single system where automated work gets commissioned, completed and paid for. In his view, AI may be smart and even creative, but it cannot make anyone trust it.
Lubin: blockchains supply the missing trust
Lubin, who founded ConsenSys, split the value of AI into two buckets: creativity and expertise on one side, trust on the other. According to Lubin, decentralized protocols on Ethereum can provide the trusted framework for that activity. AI agents could, in theory, hire other agents, verify the output and settle the bill on-chain.
He has also predicted that Ethereum will evolve into a central settlement layer. On regulation, Lubin said clarity is expected from the SEC and CFTC, even as legislative efforts around crypto oversight have faced delays.
Ethereum hosts 9.2% of registered AI agents
Early data gives Lubin's thesis some support. As of Oct. 20, Ethereum hosted 72,028 registered AI agents, about 9.2% of the 783,881 agents registered under ERC-8004, according to The Motley Fool. The same analysis says Ethereum hosted about 32,343 registered agents as of May 13, so its count has more than doubled in five months.
The network also holds capital that agents will likely need, with $49.6 billion stored in its decentralized finance apps and more than $144 billion in stablecoins.
Agent payments remain small
However, the Motley Fool describes the agent economy as largely theoretical today. Monthly agent payments over x402, a standard for paying in stablecoins, peaked at $20.5 million in November 2025 and fell to $263,863 in September 2026.
Meanwhile, Ethereum collected $17.7 million in transaction fees in the 30 days ending on Oct. 20, and its main chain had settled just 644 agent payments as of that date. The Motley Fool says the most likely scenario is that Ethereum's capital pulls agents in gradually, with payments flowing through its Layer-2 networks.
Sources: Crypto Briefing, Fool
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