jakiro
Author: Zhang Feng
AI is no longer an unreachable laboratory technology, but is becoming a new type of production factor that can be owned, tradable, and value-added – that is, “AI assets” are coming to us.
Historical experience tells us that the explosive growth of any type of asset requires solid soil.We believe that for AI assets, the composition of this soil requires three core conditions: a safe and convenient blockchain bottom layer, at least one killer smart application scenario, and a feasible and credible payment protocol.Among them, the payment agreement, as the “artery” for value transfer, is of self-evident importance. It will be the last fire that ignites the prairie fire of AI assets.The emerging x402 payment protocol is regarded by many as this key spark.
1.AIThe triple door to asset explosion
Before discussing x402 in depth, we must first clarify why these three conditions are prerequisites for the explosion of AI assets.
The bottom layer of blockchain is the cornerstone of security and convenience.The core of AI assets are data, models and computing power, which are of high value, easy to copy and difficult to confirm.It is difficult for traditional centralized databases to solve the problems of trust and uniqueness.Blockchain technology, with its distributed, non-tamperable and traceable characteristics, provides a natural solution for the storage, confirmation and trading of AI assets.But blockchain alone is not enough. It must be secure enough to withstand potential attacks and protect core assets. At the same time, it must be convenient enough, with fast transaction speed, low gas fees, and smooth user experience. Otherwise, it cannot support high-frequency, real-time AI service transactions.
Intelligent application scenarios are the source of value creation.Technology itself does not produce value, only its application does.AI assets need to find their irreplaceable application scenarios.An implicit basic condition for this is that artificial intelligence technology continues to mature and can be deeply integrated with application scenarios.This fusion may be “Model as a service“, users pay per view to call the AI model; it may also be “Data capitalization”, high-quality data sets are tokenized and traded; it may also be “AI agent economy”, autonomously running AI agents earn revenue by providing services.A killer application will prove the intrinsic value of AI assets to the market, thereby attracting an influx of massive capital and developers.
Payment protocols are the arteries through which value flows.This is the most critical and most easily overlooked link.Even with the underlying platform and application scenarios, if value cannot flow efficiently, seamlessly, and reliably, the entire ecosystem will remain rigid.An ideal payment protocol needs to solve several core issues: How to implement micropayments?The call to AI services may be extremely subtle (such as an inference calculation), and the high handling fees of the traditional financial system make it unfeasible.How to ensure the fairness of transactions?How to ensure that users will definitely get services after paying, and service providers will definitely receive compensation after providing services?How to realize cross-chain and cross-ecological value exchange?AI assets may be born in different blockchain networks, and their value needs to flow freely.
These three form a complete closed loop: the blockchain is the foundation, the application scenario is the building, and the payment protocol is the pipeline system that connects all rooms and allows the water and electricity network to flow smoothly.Without it, no matter how magnificent a building is, it cannot be put into use.
2. How does the x402 payment protocol work?
The x402 protocol is a payment layer protocol built on a decentralized network specifically designed for economic interactions between machines and machines, and between humans and machines.Its naming is inspired by the Internet’s HTTP 402 status code – “Payment Required”, which accurately reveals its mission: to set prices and complete payments for all services in the digital world.
Generally speaking, the workflow of the x402 payment protocol mainly includes the following steps:
Client requests resources:The user or AI agent acts as a client and sends an HTTP request to the resource server to try to access paid resources, such as web pages, APIs, etc.
Resource server response:If the resource requires payment to access, the resource server will return a 402 Payment Required status code and include a Payment Required Response JSON object in the HTTP header, which contains payment details, such as the maximum payment amount, resource path, payment wallet address, asset type, and blockchain network.
The client selects the payment method and prepares to pay:The client extracts the payment information from the server response, selects an appropriate payment method, and then prepares the payment as requested, creating a Payment Payload that contains necessary information such as a signature.
The client sends a payment request:The client includes the Payment Payload in the X-PAYMENT header and sends the request to the resource server again.
Resource Server Validation Payment:After the resource server receives the request, it may verify the validity of the payment with the facilitator server.The facilitation server verifies the Payment Payload and settles the payment on the blockchain.
The resource server returns the resource:If the payment is successful, the resource server will return the resources requested by the client and include the X-PAYMENT-RESPONSE header in the response header to provide payment-related feedback information.
3. x402 payment protocol technology and compliance road
Although the future is bright, the x402 protocol and the AI asset payment system it represents still need to overcome several mountains before moving towards large-scale application.
In terms of technical challenges, one is the credibility and decentralization of the oracle machine.The core of trust in the entire system lies in the oracle.If the oracle is attacked or does evil, incorrectly confirming or denying service delivery, it will lead to huge economic losses.Therefore, building a highly secure, decentralized and Sybil-resistant oracle network is a top technical priority.The second is cross-chain interoperability.The AI ecosystem must be diversified, and different AI assets and services may be located on different public chains such as Ethereum, Solana, and Aptos.The x402 protocol needs to develop a powerful and universal cross-chain communication and asset transfer solution in order to become the true bottom layer of the “Internet of Value”.The third is scalability and latency.Facing the billions of AI service calls that may occur in the future, even if state channels are used, the scalability of the entire protocol stack still faces extreme challenges.At the same time, the delay from service invocation to payment confirmation must be low enough to meet AI applications with high real-time requirements.
In terms of compliance challenges, one is currency transmission and financial supervision;The essence of x402 protocol processing is the transfer of funds.Globally, it may be considered a “money services business” or “funds transmission” by regulators, requiring strict KYC, AML and CFT requirements.This is in direct conflict with the inherently anonymous, permissionless nature of cryptocurrencies.The second isData Privacy and Sovereignty,AI service calls often involve user data.When these data are transferred through the x402 protocol, whether their privacy protection and data ownership comply with data regulations such as GDPR is an extremely complex and sensitive issue.The third istax treatment,High-frequency, cross-border micropayments automatically executed by smart contracts will bring unprecedented challenges to the existing tax declaration and collection system.How to calculate and withhold taxes on each AI service fee is an unresolved problem.
4. x402-like payment protocol pairAISignificance of assets
Although there are many challenges, the emergence of payment protocols such as x402 is disruptive to AI assets. It is a converter for AI to evolve from a “tool” to an “economic subject”.
Detonating the “Long Tail”AImarket,It enables monetization of any tiny AI service—from a piece of code validation to a style filter.This will greatly encourage developers and individuals to contribute their AI capabilities and form a vibrant “long-tail” AI service market, which cannot be effectively reached by centralized platforms in the past.
Build verifiableAIeconomy,The x402 protocol encodes economic logic into AI interactions through blockchain and smart contracts, creating a “verifiable economic system.”Every income and every expenditure is publicly verifiable and undeniable, which provides a solid data foundation for the valuation, investment and financialization of AI assets.
Give birth to true autonomyAIagent,The AI of the future will not be an isolated model, but an “agent” that can act autonomously and collaborate with each other.An AI agent can autonomously use the services of other AI agents to complete complex tasks (such as planning itineraries, managing investments) through the x402 protocol, and automatically pay fees.This will give rise to a new digital economy powered by AI and managed by AI.
Promote the asset circulation of computing power and data,Computing power and data are the “oil” and “ore” of AI.The x402 protocol can empower decentralized computing power markets and data markets, allowing idle computing power and data to be easily traded and combined like commodities, thereby optimizing the allocation efficiency of global AI resources.
AIWhen will the asset explode?The answer is already clear: when the bottom layer of the blockchain becomes as smooth as the Internet, when killer AI applications emerge like smartphone apps, and especially when payment protocols like x402 successfully overcome their technical and compliance obstacles and become an insensitive infrastructure for AI value exchange, the explosion of AI assets will be a matter of course.
This day is not out of reach.What we are witnessing is not only the evolution of technology, but also a profound change in production relations.The x402 payment protocol may be the crucial key in this transformation. It is about to open a new world of trillions of AI assets co-created, shared and governed by intelligent agents.
