Visa and Artemis Say the AI Agent Economy Isn't Ready Yet — Here's What's Missing

WHY IT MATTERS

Imagine if your smart assistant could not only book a flight for you but also pay for it, compare prices across airlines, and negotiate deals — all without you lifting a finger. That's the promise of autonomous AI agents. But right now, there's a big problem: the financial and identity systems we use were built for humans, not software bots. There's no easy way for an AI agent to have its own 'bank account' or prove who it is. Visa and Artemis are pointing out that before this futuristic economy can work, we need to build entirely new infrastructure — and blockchain technology might be a key piece of the puzzle because it allows for programmable, automated transactions through smart contracts (self-executing code on a blockchain).