This article explores the future of the machine economy.
Written by: Paige Xu
Translated by: white55, Mars Finance
We have all experienced those "ordering takeout moments": a quick tap on the phone, and a burrito is on its way. But this time, what if there are no human drivers weaving through traffic to deliver it? Instead, there’s a delivery robot buzzing along the sidewalk, guided by sensors and artificial intelligence, or an autonomous vehicle carrying a humanoid robot that brings your takeout to your doorstep, solving the "last mile" problem.
The beauty lies in the invisible processes.
As this robot traverses the city, it is not just delivering orders; it is also conducting transactions. It pays tolls with on-chain dollars, using a private smart road; it tips a decentralized navigation oracle for the fastest detour route; then, it quickly recharges at a solar-powered charging station through micro-payments; and just as it completes your order delivery, the service fees it earns are deposited into its own on-chain treasury. This is what machine-to-machine commerce (M2M commerce) looks like.
Robots with Wallets
For the past decade, we have been empowering algorithms with autonomy, allowing them to recommend music, filter news, and even trade stocks. But now, we are granting this autonomy financial power—along with it comes agency.
With the help of decentralized finance (DeFi), smart contracts, and machine-readable APIs, wallets unlock true autonomy for machines, enabling them to negotiate terms in real-time with charging stations, service providers, and other machines; earn income by providing services such as delivery, data collection, and infrastructure maintenance; and make payments for their operational needs (like fuel, maintenance, and software updates).
Essentially, robots are evolving from tools into autonomous agents, becoming economic participants with their own rights.
The Rise of Synthetic Labor
For centuries, "labor" has meant humans performing tasks for wages. Today, we are witnessing the dawn of synthetic labor: robots and AI agents providing services on-chain and earning income, potentially even funding their own existence.
A delivery robot can choose high-paying jobs based on market demand; a drone might dynamically adjust its service pricing during a weather crisis; and an AI lawyer agent could bid on micro-contracts for startups needing rapid regulatory reviews.
These agents are designed for optimization and absolutely do not require sick leave. This changes the nature of labor and value creation, even altering the meaning of "work."
According to Kevin Leffew, head of the Coinbase developer platform AgentKit, we are entering an era where machines are not just tools but are genuinely participating in the economy. This represents a structural shift in how software engages with the market by earning, spending, and even operating independently.
Who Gets Paid, and Who Gets Replaced?
If your delivery robot earns income, the question arises: who owns that income? Is it the company? The DAO managing the robot? You, the user? Or perhaps… no one?
If robots trade, tip, charge, and collaborate at speeds far exceeding humans, what happens to those they replace?
The machine economy promises efficiency but also threatens to strip humans from the value chain. To understand it, we need new ownership models. Perhaps every citizen could own a share of the robots operating in their city; maybe delivery robots would need to pay local taxes; or perhaps you could earn tokens every time you receive a delivery service.
Granting AI financial autonomy creates a new class of participants that could drive value across the economy while also presenting new (human-machine) collaborative challenges.
The Hidden Costs Behind Convenience
The vision of an "autonomous machine economy" is quite enticing, as it implies no middlemen and no inefficiencies. Machines that can earn income, autonomously consume, and integrate their optimization into our life context are like Uber Eats meeting DeFi, and encountering the world of Wall-E.
Ultimately, will the number of robots surpass gig economy workers? Or can autonomous agents form a DAO to collectively own the infrastructure they operate?
What happens when your delivery drone charges you higher fees during peak hours? It’s not because it’s evil, but because it is rational and seeks to maximize profits.
Machines paying tolls and collaborating with other robots, with each micro-transaction fundamentally rewriting the logic of market operations.
In this economy, code is labor, wallets are autonomy, and data is currency. If robots can earn, consume, and trade, they will need constraints and accountability mechanisms. This requires a legal framework, not just agreements.
If we don’t draw the line now, the next time a robot appears at your doorstep, it may not just want to deliver food; it might want to buy your house.
And guess what?
It’s even prepared with a wallet.
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