The Ethereum Foundation’s decentralized AI (dAI) team has announced the mainnet deployment of ERC-8004, a new standard designed to address core trust and identity challenges within the emerging AI Agent economy. This initiative, developed in collaboration with Google, Coinbase, and MetaMask, signals a strategic infrastructure investment for enabling verifiable collaboration between autonomous AI entities. The ERC-8004 standard, named “Trustless Agents,” provides a foundational framework for AI Agents to operate as credible economic actors in decentralized environments. It establishes three core components: an Identity Registry (using ERC-721 to give each Agent a unique, verifiable NFT-based identity), a Reputation Registry (linking feedback to on-chain economic activities to build trust), and a Verification Registry (with interfaces for third-party attestations via technologies like zero-knowledge proofs). The standard’s development is a direct response to a critical gap identified as AI Agents evolve from simple tools into autonomous entities capable of independent task execution and economic interaction. In open, permissionless networks where Agents may originate from individuals, DAOs, or anonymous deployers, establishing trust without centralized platform guarantees becomes paramount. ERC-8004 aims to create a minimal “social fabric” for Agents, allowing them to be identified, evaluated, and held accountable based on their on-chain historical records. While technically compatible with various EVM and non-EVM chains, the choice of Ethereum as the foundational layer is strategic. It leverages Ethereum’s established properties as a credible, neutral global settlement layer—where the cost of error in high-stakes Agent interactions outweighs the need for maximal transaction speed. The vision positions Ethereum not as the execution layer for all AI operations, but as the underlying trust and清算层 (clearing/settlement layer) for cross-platform AI Agent collaboration. ERC-8004 represents a long-term bet on the infrastructure required for a future economy where AI Agents participate as independent economic units. It seeks to provide the essential秩序 (order) and verification mechanisms needed for scalable AI-to-AI and AI-to-human collaboration, potentially defining Ethereum’s role in the next evolution of digital economic systems.