When AI Agents Become Network Subjects: How Business Models Transform

This is not the rise of machines, but the emergence of collaborative infrastructure, which is a great opportunity to build a smarter and more efficient future.

Written by: Outlier Ventures

Compilation: Golden Finance xiaozou

Imagine an internet that no longer competes for your attention, but quietly and efficiently serves you.

We are entering the "post-network era," where autonomous AI agents will become the main actors in this radical transformation of the internet. Driven by the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and distributed ledger technology (DLT), this "machine-first" paradigm is not only reshaping the way we access the internet but will also fundamentally change the operations, development, and competitive models of businesses.

Welcome to the era of machine economy - the rules of attention economy are invalidated here, and a new business model is being nurtured.

1. From Attention to Intention: The Paradigm Shift in Internet Economics

For decades, online business models have been built around attention. Ad pushes, message alerts, headline bait – all designed to extend the user's stay. But in the post-web era, user delegation will replace direct interactions.

We are transitioning from an attention economy to an intention economy, where AI agents represent users to execute their true intentions, completely bypassing distraction-prone interaction designs. Businesses must shift from the battle for eyeballs to building effective solutions that enable AI agents to efficiently achieve user goals. This transformation will dismantle existing models and give rise to new business formats centered around directly serving autonomous agents.

2. Emerging Business Models in the Machine Economy

The rise of the agency economy will open up numerous new tracks for entrepreneurs, focusing on meeting the needs of AI entities:

(1) Data Supply and Verification

AI agents crave data. They rely on curated, contextualized, and verifiable datasets for decision-making. Companies that provide trustworthy data (especially those that achieve traceability through DLT technology) will become the infrastructure of the machine economy.

(2) Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network (DePIN)

Autonomous agents are driving significant infrastructure demand. DePIN will provide computing power, storage, and network connectivity for the machine economy, making the construction, operation, and maintenance of the DePIN network an important opportunity.

(3) Proxy Priority dApp

The clumsy user interface is about to become obsolete. The key to success for dApps in the post-network era lies not in directly serving users, but in providing clear APIs, smart contracts, and composable protocols that can be called upon by AI agents. From DeFi to DeAI, developers who build products for machines (rather than humans) will emerge as the winners.

(4) Agency Development and Management Tools

The platform that helps teams build, deploy, monitor, and protect AI agents will trigger a gold rush, including: agent development kits, cluster coordinators, AI firewalls, and agent performance dashboards.

(5) Dynamic Human-Machine Interface of Lightweight Networks

Humanity has not been excluded; the way we interact has simply changed. The Thin Web will serve as a contextual dynamic interface to meet higher-level needs such as social connections and immersive shopping. AI will personalize and seamlessly integrate interfaces and content in real time, generating customized experiences on demand.

(6) Tokenization of Real Assets and Digital Goods

With the acceleration of tokenization of assets such as real estate and intellectual property, agents need a trusted platform for the creation, management, and trading of tokenized assets. Decentralized exchanges, RWA custody, and liquidity provision sectors will see significant growth.

(7) Proxy Trading Market

Agent transactions require secure trading. The potential for building an agent trading market that includes discovery mechanisms, credibility systems, and secure economic exchanges is immense.

(8) Commission is a service

Imagine hiring AI agents to manage travel, portfolios, or logistics. Enterprises can offer vertical domain AI agent services, combining trust frameworks like DLT, allowing users to confidently delegate important matters.

3. Deep Exploration of the Complete Picture of Machine Economy

Gain a deeper understanding of the framework of post-network agency theory, exploring the rise of AI agents, asset tokenization, decentralized infrastructure, and the future evolution of the machine economy. For details, please refer to our research article.

4. How Builders Respond

In the post-network era, product interfaces will disappear. Agents are users. Entrepreneurs, this means your products must have the following characteristics:

1. Machine readability
2. Credibility
3. Reliability
4. Composability

It's no longer about the front-end interface that matters, it's about the underlying functionality, data access, and execution quality that the AI agent can invoke. Although the machine economy seems to be developing by leaps and bounds, it is actually a matter of course. The foundational elements of Web3 over the past decade – decentralized infrastructure, token economy, digital identity – have long been laid. It's not the rise of machines, it's the rise of collaborative infrastructure, and it's a great opportunity to build a smarter, more efficient future.