Opinion of: Sean Li, co-founder of Magic Labs
Cryptographic markets work 24/7. Human merchants do not do so. While AI agents are starting to manage liquidity, optimize performance and execute trades at every hour, they quickly become essential infrastructure for the future of decentralized finance (DEFI). While AI agents evolve niche tools for quantum traders in traditional financial operators, they quickly exceed wallets intended to secure them.
The progress of the abstraction of accounts and portfolios of intelligent contracts have emerged, but most of the challenge platforms are still mainly based on external held account wallets that require manual approvals at each stage. Programmable solutions at an early stage exist but remain fragmented, costly on layer 1 networks and adopted by a tiny user fraction.
As AI agents operate more and more in DEFI, this infrastructure limitation becomes critical. We need a standardized infrastructure that allows secure and profitable automation with verifiable railings on several blockchain ecosystems.
Automation needs railings, no supposition
The rise of autonomous agents opens up new possibilities: hand -free challenge strategies, portfolio optimization in real time and cross -arbitration. Without programmable authorization and visibility on ONCHAIN, however, the AI control delegation can expose users to a catastrophic risk. Malventy robots, hallucinated agents and poorly designed automation can drain the wallets before human advice.
We have already seen what is happening when the agent infrastructure fails. In September 2024, users of the Banana Gun Bot Bot Bot -based pistol lost 563 ether (ETH) (approximately 1.9 million dollars) thanks to an operated oracle vulnerability which allowed attackers to intercept messages and gain unauthorized access to user wallets. More recently, the attackers violated the AixBT dashboard and issued orders to transfer funds directly, resulting in the loss of 55.5 ETH worth more than $ 100,000. These are not isolated incidents – these are signs of warning systemic vulnerability in our automation infrastructure.
Inherited portfolios cannot support autonomous agents
Despite years of portfolio innovation, architecture remains static mainly: sign a transaction, disseminate, repeat. Most portfolios are not designed to understand “intention”, check that automation corresponds to the rules defined by the user or to restrict activity by time, asset type or strategy.
This rigidity creates an all or nothing dynamic: either you maintain manual control and lack fast evolution opportunities, or you fully restore access to third -party opaque systems. For defects fed by AI to evolve safely because it builds more utility, we need a programmable, composable and verifiable infrastructure.
Programmable authorizations are the new confidence layer
While intelligent contracts code logic in DEFI protocols, the portfolio infrastructure must code logic in user control. This means activating authorizations based on the session, the cryptographic verification of the actions of the agents and the capacity to revoke access in real time.
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With these features in place, users can delegate trading, rebalancing or the execution of the strategy without giving up complete control. This approach does not only reach risks – it widens access. Advanced DEFI strategies could become accessible to users without technical knowledge and safely managed by agents operating in verifiable constraints.
The programmable infrastructure makes it evolving
The programmable portfolio infrastructure is not content to make it safer – it makes it scalable. The fragmentation between chains and protocols has long been an obstacle to automated strategies. A universal key protocol that synchronizes authorizations through networks can rationalize the cross delegation and open the door to interoperable agent ecosystems.
As institutional interest in deffi increases, secure automation will not be negotiable. Most companies will not allow AI agents to interact with capital without verifiable railings. As evidence of zero knowledge becomes essential to confidentiality and compliance, programmable portfolio authorizations can become standard for agents based on agents.
The future of Defi
Some will say that AI cannot trust financial autonomy, but traditional markets have already adopted algorithmic trade and the automation of black boxes. DEFI is not immune – it is simply not prepared.
If the crypto must maintain its principles of transparency and sovereignty of users, it must create an infrastructure which maintains the agents of AI under control. It starts with the reconstruction of portfolios as interfaces and operating systems for the autonomous and multi -hole economy.
DEFI is on the verge of an automation revolution. The question is not whether the agents will participate. Whether we give them the rails, they must act at the service of users, not despite themselves.
Opinion of: Sean Li, co-founder of Magic Labs.
This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and must not be considered as legal or investment advice. The points of view, the thoughts and opinions expressed here are the only of the author and do not reflect or do not necessarily represent the opinions and opinions of Cointellegraph.
