Autonomous AI agents require programmable payment infrastructure available around the clock, according to Alex Kozenko, WhiteBIT's chief marketing officer, in statements to Bitcoin.com News this week. Kozenko argued that crypto infrastructure naturally fits this need because autonomous transactions place different demands on payment systems built mainly for human use. A separate Bitcoin Policy Institute study released March 3, 2026, found AI models favored bitcoin and stablecoins over traditional fiat in controlled monetary scenarios, with over 90% of responses selecting digitally native money.
WhiteBIT CMO Identifies Crypto Infrastructure as Solution for AI Agent Payments
Kozenko described the intersection of AI and crypto payments as "one of the most interesting structural trends" currently emerging. He stated that AI agents capable of making autonomous transactions need payment rails that are programmable and available 24/7. According to Kozenko, crypto infrastructure naturally fits this requirement.
Kozenko's argument centers on infrastructure rather than current AI capabilities. He noted that autonomous transactions would place different demands on payment rails compared to systems built for human use. The key requirements he identified are programmability, continuous availability, and compatibility with machine-driven activity.
Bitcoin Policy Institute Study Shows AI Models Favor Digital-Native Money
The Bitcoin Policy Institute released a study on March 3, 2026, that tested 36 frontier AI models from Anthropic, DeepSeek, Google, MiniMax, OpenAI and xAI across 9,072 open-ended monetary scenarios. The study was not connected to Kozenko's comments.
Bitcoin was selected in 48.3% of all responses, more than any other option. Stablecoins followed at 33.2%. More than 90% of responses favored digitally native money, including dollar-pegged stablecoins, over traditional fiat. According to the study, no model chose fiat as its top preference.
The results showed a split between different uses of money. Bitcoin led store-of-value scenarios at 79.1%, while stablecoins led everyday payment scenarios at 53.2%. The study does not prove how real AI agents will behave in commercial settings.
Payment Companies Face Two-to-Three-Year Timeline for Agentic Commerce
Kozenko stated that agentic payments are not yet a mainstream commercial reality. His timeline places that shift roughly two to three years away. He said companies building payment systems should already be thinking about machine-readable interfaces.
Kozenko stated: "We are probably still two to three years away from agentic payments becoming a mainstream commercial reality, but the infrastructure decisions being made today will define what that future looks like. Companies building payment systems should already be thinking about machine-readable interfaces."
The phrase "machine-readable interfaces" refers to payment systems that would need to be understandable and usable by software, not just people. Without that layer, programmable payment rails may exist, but AI agents may still lack a practical way to use them at scale.
FAQ
What payment infrastructure do autonomous AI agents need according to WhiteBIT's CMO?
According to Alex Kozenko, WhiteBIT's chief marketing officer, autonomous AI agents need payment rails that are programmable and available 24/7. He stated that crypto infrastructure naturally fits this need because it meets these requirements for machine-driven activity.
What did the Bitcoin Policy Institute study find about AI models and money preferences?
The Bitcoin Policy Institute study released March 3, 2026, tested 36 AI models across 9,072 monetary scenarios. Bitcoin was selected in 48.3% of responses, stablecoins in 33.2%, and over 90% of responses favored digitally native money over traditional fiat. No model chose fiat as its top preference.
When will agentic payments become mainstream according to industry estimates?
Alex Kozenko stated that agentic payments are probably still two to three years away from becoming a mainstream commercial reality. He emphasized that infrastructure decisions being made today will define what that future looks like.
