We have taught AI to think, and now they have learned to bargain—while humans have become the Transaction Cost.

Original title: The machine economy has arrived and bots have wallets

Original author: Paige Xu

Original source:

Compiled by: Daisy, Mars Finance

We are all familiar with this scene: with a light tap on the phone, a Mexican burrito is delivered by an Uber Eats rider through traffic. But what if the next delivery is not a human rider, but a robot navigating the sidewalk using sensors and AI, or a humanoid robot handing it to you from an autonomous vehicle—this solves the "last mile" problem. The brilliance of this experience lies precisely in what you cannot see behind the scenes.

As this robot traverses the city, it is not only delivering goods but also performing a series of economic activities in real-time: paying the toll for private smart roads with on-chain dollars; tipping decentralized navigation oracles to obtain optimal detour routes; completing micropayments at solar charging stations for rapid energy replenishment; and the moment it delivers a package, the service fee is automatically deposited into its on-chain treasury—this is the prototype of machine-to-machine (M2M) commerce.

The main body of the machine with the wallet

Over the past decade, we have empowered algorithms to recommend music, filter news, and trade stocks. Today, we have transferred economic autonomy to machines—through decentralized finance (DeFi), smart contracts, and machine-readable APIs, digital wallets enable machines to negotiate terms in real-time with charging stations, service providers, and peers: earning income through services like delivery and data collection; autonomously spending on operational needs such as fuel and maintenance. Essentially, robots have transformed from tools into intelligent agents with the status of economic entities.

The Rise of Synthetic Labor

For centuries, "labor" has always meant human work done for compensation. Today, we are witnessing the birth of synthetic labor: robots and AI agents earning income through on-chain services, even achieving self-sustainability. Delivery robots can select high-paying orders based on market demand; drones dynamically adjust service pricing during weather crises; AI legal agents can bid on micro-contracts for urgent compliance reviews for startups. These agents, who never take a day off, are reshaping the nature of labor and the way value is created.

Kevin Leffew, head of the AgentKit developer platform at Coinbase, pointed out that we are entering a new era where machines are no longer just tools but become economic participants. When software can earn income, autonomously spend, and even operate independently, the logic of market participation has undergone a structural change.

Who benefits? Who is replaced?

If delivery robots can earn income, to whom should this money belong? The company? The robot's DAO organization? The users? Or... no one at all? When machines can complete transactions, payments, fees, and collaborations at speeds far exceeding human capabilities, where will the displaced humans go? The machine economy, while enhancing efficiency, may also push humans out of the value chain. We need to establish a new ownership model: should citizens hold shares in the robots that operate the city? Should delivery robots pay local taxes? Should users receive token rewards for accepting deliveries?

The Hidden Costs Behind Convenience

The vision of an "autonomous machine economy" is full of temptations – no middlemen, and the complete elimination of inefficiencies. These machines that can make money, consume, and optimize autonomously are like a fusion of Uber Eats, DeFi, and Robot Story. However, if the price increase of the delivery drone during peak hours on a certain day is not out of malice, but only a rational profit-seeking behavior, how should we respond? When a machine rewrites the rules of the market with each microtransaction, code is labor, wallets are autonomy, and data is currency.

If boundaries are not set early, the next robot that comes to your door may not just be delivering packages—it might want to buy your house.

But do you know what is the most amazing thing?

It has long been prepared with a payment wallet.