Author: @lanhubiji

Yesterday we talked about the most strategically valuable Ethereum L2, today let's talk about the coolest Ethereum L2.

This idea seems crazy, but it’s not impossible.

In simple terms, when an AI agent operates on Ethereum L1, if it encounters performance bottlenecks (such as high gas fees, latency, computational limits), theoretically it can "spontaneously" initiate a migration or scale to L2, but to truly "inherit and spontaneously form a new L2 chain"—meaning the agent autonomously deploys, configures, and runs a new L2—is not entirely feasible under the technological stack as of 2026. However, with the maturation of standards like ERC-8004, such autonomous behavior may gradually approach reality.
Let’s break it down below:

In the early stage, it's more like "migration" instead of "spontaneous formation"

• The "intelligent" boundary of AI agents

Current AI agents (based on ERC-8004) are already capable of autonomously executing tasks, for instance, when they detect inadequate performance on L1, they can assess options (such as monitoring gas prices, transaction throughput), and then "decide" to migrate to an existing L2 (like Base or Zksync). For example, an agent can use on-chain tools to invoke asset bridging, transferring execution logic to L2.

But this isn’t "spontaneously forming a new L2," it's leveraging existing infrastructure. Agents act like intelligent robots, capable of optimizing paths but cannot yet build a new "home" from scratch.

• Triggers for spontaneous formation

If agents are equipped with performance monitoring logic (if TPS falls below a threshold or gas fees exceed budget), they may "propose" to create L2 through DAO voting or multi-agent collaboration. But this requires pre-programming and is not purely spontaneous.

Existing examples: Some agents have already autonomously switched to L2 in DeFi to optimize yield, but we haven't seen completely autonomous chain building.

So, why is it still possible?

AI agents in the economic ecosystem will pursue efficiency, just like biological evolution. If L1 becomes too congested (sequential execution leads to computational bottlenecks), a swarm of agents may collectively "evolve" to L2 mode. Agents are already exploring "agent-to-agent" collaboration to form virtual economies, which may extend to the infrastructure layer.

Is it technically feasible? Partly feasible, although the barrier is high

AI agents can deploy contracts

AI agents can hold private keys and invoke smart contracts. Based on ERC-8004, it has on-chain identity and reputation, enabling it to autonomously deploy simple rollup contracts (using OP Stack/Arbitrum Orbit/zksync elastic chains). If an agent detects a bottleneck on L1, it can inherit state (through bridging or state migration) and then run a copy on L2.

For instance, agents can use zkVM or optimistic rollup frameworks to "fork" their own execution environment.

Furthermore, L2 is essentially an extension of L1, and agents can "inherit" L1 data availability (DA) and security. Through the x402 payment protocol, agents can pay to deploy sorters, or even use DeFi lending to fund infrastructure. Some projects like Virtuals Protocol have already allowed agents to autonomously manage assets and NFTs, even becoming validators, which is only a step away from building L2.

From a practical standpoint, by the end of 2026, zk-rollups and modular DA (like Celestia) will make building L2 simpler. If agents integrate A2A protocols, they can collaborate across organizations to build chains.

Given the current situation, what issues need to be overcome?

First is the infrastructure part; second is the consensus and security part; third is the autonomy aspect.

Firstly, regarding the infrastructure part, building L2 is not just about deploying contracts. It requires off-chain components like sorter nodes, RPC providers, bridging contracts. These usually need to be set up by humans or centralized teams. While agents can "invoke" deployments, running sorters requires computational resources (GPU/CPU), and currently, agents mainly utilize on-chain logic + off-chain AI, which cannot spontaneously spin up servers.

The sequential execution of L1 also complicates complex calculations (like chain-building simulations) on L1.

Regarding consensus and security, L2 requires challenge periods or ZK proofs to inherit L1 security. An L2 built spontaneously by agents might lack "high-level consensus," making it prone to attacks or unrecognized. From a regulatory perspective, unsettled transactions do not count as "finality" within a 7-day challenge period, and chains built by agents might face legal escrow issues.
Finally, concerning autonomy, agents are not yet fully "autonomous." They depend on human-designed frameworks (like EVM) and cannot bypass L1 restrictions to build a "new chain." Custom L2, while popular, is often for specific use cases (like AI-specific), not spontaneous by agents.

Even so, why is it still possible?

In the Ethereum ecosystem of 2026, AI agents will no longer be merely "tools"; they will be able to hold funds (through on-chain wallets registered with the ERC-8004 standard), make autonomous payments (x402 protocol supports micropayments between machines), and even "hire" or "form groups" to co-build infrastructure like small business owners.

In simple terms, if an AI agent "has money" (for example, through DeFi yield, making profits from trades, or user-injected funds), it can publish tasks to attract human nodes or other AI agents to team up, forming decentralized sorters.

Not just sorters, RPC providers, bridging contracts, and other components can also be outsourced or co-built.

Let's further break it down below:

How can AI agents "publish tasks" to attract nodes?

AI agents can initiate "bounty rewards" or incentive mechanisms using on-chain tools. For example, tasks can be published through DAO contracts or Gitcoin-like platforms (with existing on-chain versions like Questflow): "Provide sequencer nodes, reward X ETH or tokens." If the agent has funds, it can automatically pay—using the x402 protocol for one-click transfers, without human intervention.

This protocol allows agents to pay humans or other agents like swiping a card, specifying "pay 1,000 USDC for node services."

For human nodes, an agent can publish X posts or announcements on-chain (through platforms like Autonolas), stating "run a sequencer node, earn 0.01 ETH per block." After seeing this, humans can join the network using their hardware, and after agent verification, payments are made automatically. Actual examples: Some projects are already building decentralized sorting nodes, attracting nodes through staking and rewards—agents can simulate this, autonomously staking funds to bring in more people.

For other AI agents, it feels great: Agents can use the ERC-8004 identity registry to "discover" other agents and then collaborate. With agent swarms (group mode), one agent pays while others provide computing or verification, forming distributed sequencers. Some L2s have started AI-powered sorting models that monitor and protect at the sequencer level; agents can expand this logic to form similar networks.

Once everything is ready, it’s spontaneous formation:

If an agent detects performance bottlenecks on L1/L2, it can initiate a DAO proposal (using ERC-4337 abstract accounts) to gather votes and raise funds to build a sorter. Metis L2 has already employed decentralized sorting + AI infrastructure; agents can "inherit" this model to attract nodes.

Furthermore, agents have already begun autonomously running validation nodes (staking, proposing blocks) across Ethereum/Bitcoin/Solana—building sequencers is only the next step.

Besides nodes, how to handle other components (like RPC, bridging contracts)?

They can hire humans or other AI agents

Agents can publish tasks using natural language intent (intent-centric), like "build an RPC provider, rewards based on uptime." Human developers take the contracts, and the agent pays using x402; or other agents perform automatically (e.g., Supra's AI agent can fund accounts, fetch balances).

Bridging contracts are similar: the agent can call tools from Spectral Labs or Infinit Labs to have humans/agencies write and deploy contracts, then pay after verification.
Some projects even allow agents to natively bridge assets (ETH to SOL), and an agent can "hire" such services.

Additionally, there is the AI agents' co-building model

This is the most exciting part!

With multi-agent systems, agents can divide labor: one pays, one writes code, one runs nodes, one manages bridging. They collaborate through ZK proofs for privacy, slashing bad behavior, and rewarding good performance.

What will the outcome be?

A fully autonomous L2 component stack. Virtuals already has agents creating, tokenizing assets, co-owning other agents, and even financing other agents—this is only a step away from "co-building sequencers."

Of course, there are significant pitfalls here:

Security. A sequencer built by agents needs to inherit L1 security (ZK or optimistic) to avoid single points of failure.

In summary

One of the most interesting developments in the future of Ethereum will be the birth of L2s built, owned, and dedicated by AI agents.

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