Circle and OpenMind advance toward an autonomous AI economy with tokenized micropayments in USDC

Source: CritpoTendencia Original Title: Circle and OpenMind advance toward an autonomous AI economy with tokenized micropayments in USDC Original Link: Recently, Circle and OpenMind joined forces to promote a standard for autonomous micropayments in artificial intelligence (AI) using the USDC token. This development aligns with the emerging trend of AI agents, where bots and automated systems can trade without human intervention. The goal is to create a self-sustaining financial dynamic based on machine-to-machine transactions.

Circle, the issuer of USDC, aims to position this token as one of the central pillars of the artificial intelligence agent ecosystem. In this context, the alliance with OpenMind represents a firm step toward that vision.

According to both companies, the main objective is to offer a micropayment protocol based on the aforementioned stablecoin. Its functions include commerce between AI agents, applications, and even physical devices. All of these could execute automated transactions without human participation, paving the way for a futuristic dynamic that could mark a new stage for the digital economy.

The technology that enables this system is the x402 payment standard, according to Circle. This allows HTTP requests to simultaneously include payment processing, making it possible to automate small transactions autonomously.

For its part, OpenMind participates as a key technical partner, responsible for laying the necessary groundwork for this ecosystem to function optimally.

Circle pushes USDC as the currency of commerce in the AI era

The commercial expansion of AI could make USDC one of the most widely used tokens for machine-to-machine payments. This is reinforced by the fact that Circle operates under strict regulatory standards, making its stablecoin a reliable asset for experiments related to automation and next-generation digital commerce.

If this project progresses as planned, it could become the foundation of the autonomous agent economy. This would create new revenue streams for data providers, computing platforms, and API marketplaces, especially for those still dependent on more traditional payment schemes.

However, this futuristic vision is still in an early phase. The x402 technology requires the participation of data providers, cloud services, and API operators willing to accept automated micropayments. This reliance on additional infrastructure represents one of the main challenges for scaling the system.

As a result, the image of AI agents trading in USDC without human intervention is not imminent yet. Nevertheless, both Circle and OpenMind believe that this is the natural direction of technological evolution, and alliances like this lay the groundwork for what could become a new era for automated commerce.