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There ’s a lot of hype aboutthe promise of AI agentstoday , but payment are a huge qualifying factor . Today , an AI factor might be able to plan a vacation for you severally , but a human has to step in when it ’s time to input your credit card selective information . Skyfire Systems wants to transfer that .
Skyfire make a payment mesh specifically for AI agents to make autonomous transactions . Now , plainly , AI agents are hard to ascertain today , so the idea of one tied to your bank account is terrifying . However , Skyfire uses a number of guard to prevent AI agent from overspend , making the whole thing a slight less chilling .
Skyfire assigns each AI broker a digital wallet with a unique identifier , where businesses can deposit a localize amount of funds they need the broker to spend , so they do n’t get limitless access code to a bank invoice . Skyfire also let customers to set limits on how much an AI agent can spend in one dealings and over fourth dimension . If an AI factor endeavor to overspend , it will pink a human to review it . Skyfire also offers a fascia to take in precisely how much , and where , their factor is spending .
Skyfire ’s co - father and CEO Amir Sarhangisold his last startup , Jibe , to Google , and the RCS messaging communications protocol Jibe facilitate pioneer became the touchstone for Android ’s billion users . Now he ’s attempt to develop an open communications protocol to power payments in the AI epoch .
“ AI agents ca n’t do anything if they ca n’t make payments ; it ’s just a glorified search , ” tell Skyfire atomic number 27 - founder and master product policeman Craig DeWitt in an consultation with TechCrunch . “ Either we figure out a way where agents are really able to do thing , or they do n’t do anything , and therefore , they ’re not broker . ”
On Wednesday , Skyfire officially set in motion its defrayal mesh and declare $ 8.5 million in seed financing raised from Neuberger Berman , Inception Capital , Arrington Capital , and other investor . ( Arrington Capital is top by Michael Arrington , the father of TechCrunch , who left the publication in 2011 . )
Payments for agents
Notably , Skyfire does n’t make the AI agent , but plenty of companies already are : They ’re all attempt to make certain federal agent do n’t go rogue and direct 4,000 pressman to the office when the old one runs out of ink ( ideally , just one ) . Even though Skyfire has total safe-conduct , the founders say that ordinate AI agents to act responsibly is ultimately up to the ship’s company behind them .
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Skyfire is alone focused on creating the payment connection these agents can transact on , and did it using blockchain technology . The founding father were early executive at the cryptocurrency startup Ripple , helping to build a cross - border payments web that processed more than $ 50 billion during their time there .
Businesses can lodge and withdraw U.S. dollars from Skyfire , but under the hood , the platform is converting those dollars into a digital stablecoin . Skyfire uses USDC , a digital stablecoin pegged to the American dollar ’s value , and nurse it in a billfold tied to that federal agent .
Skyfire collects 2 % to 3 % of every dealings to sire gross but says check services could be another generator of tax income moving forward . As AI company struggleto generate returns on expensive model , it ’s possible more will deform to payments as a means to divulge even .
AI agents on a shopping spree
In a beta test over the last two months , some AI factor have already been spending their society ’ dollars with Skyfire , the founders tell TechCrunch .
Denso , a global machine parts manufacturer , make AI agents to reference materials without the help of human beings . These systems could find the materials Denso wanted to grease one’s palms but ask humans to step in at the remnant of the calendar month and deal a telegram payment . Now Skyfire enables Denso ’s AI agentive role to work unfeignedly autonomously .
Another fellowship already using Skyfire is Payman , which allows AI to pay homo for various tasks , kind of like Fiverr . With Skyfire ’s platform , Payman ’s AI factor can now charter and fulfill defrayment to contract actor completely autonomously , at least in possibility .
For now , Skyfire is focused on B2B use sheath for its payments net . But Skyfire ’s CEO say that ’s just the beginning .
“ The protocol we built will be an undetermined communications protocol that any company , even a competitor , can use , ” said Sarhangi in an audience . “ We want this to be the thing everybody use when it comes to payments in the AI world . ”
Skyfire ’s laminitis believe AI agents will fundamentally dislodge the way things are buy on the internet . To buy something online today , human beings replete out lots of personal information and prime epitome of traffic cones to assert your indistinguishability . Skyfire hopes its payment internet arrive at the port obsolete , and your AI factor can one twenty-four hour period just act as a secure intercessor between vendors and your banking company account .
