Ethereum prepares ERC-8004 standard to settle AI agent interactions on mainnet
On January 27, 2026, Ethereum contributors outlined the ERC-8004 standard, which is intended to bring structured AI agent-to-agent communication and settlement to the mainnet and L2 networks. The proposal focuses on agent discovery and portable reputation so that AI services can interact across organizations without additional screening, while developers can choose among several trust models to manage value at risk. Supporters expect wider AI agent usage to contribute to high on-chain activity and potentially strengthen the market for reputational tools such as ENS names.