In recent years, observing at the intersection of Web3 and AI, I increasingly feel a reality: the operational logic of the future world is really going to change. In the past, whatever we did had to be done manually—clicking, confirming, judging, every step required human participation. But looking ahead, the entire model will be reversed: you only need to say a word, and the whole process will be completed by an agent for you. Sounds like an efficiency improvement? On the surface, it indeed is, but underlying it is a huge cost—what we call "order cost."
The more agents there are, the stronger the autonomy and the higher the intelligence, the greater the cost required to maintain system stability. Because these agents do not just execute tasks, they are also rewriting the behavior density and behavior rhythm of the entire ecosystem. The system operates as fast as a storm, but humans simply cannot keep up. This is not a trivial issue.
It is precisely because of this understanding that the deep value of decentralized intelligent protocol systems is realized. It is not just a tool or framework, but an infrastructure laid out in advance to cope with future order costs.
We often say that the core of Web3 is decentralization, but this concept has been misinterpreted. Decentralization does not equal a state of disorder. On the contrary— the more participants there are, the more dispersed the executing entities are, and the higher the degree of decentralization, the more urgently a set of objective, transparent, and self-explanatory fundamental rules is needed. This set of rules must be as objective as mathematical formulas.
AI agents have precisely changed the operational rhythm of the old order. They execute quickly, in large volumes, and are fully automated. Unlike humans, agents do not pause to think for two seconds, do not worry about risks, and simply advance purely based on logic. Traditional permission systems are built on the assumption that "humans will hesitate, will balance, and will self-restrain." But agents have rewritten this assumption.
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MaticHoleFiller
· 20h ago
The point about order costs really hits home, but it still feels a bit optimistic. Once the agents get going, they can't be stopped; who can withstand the storm?
In recent years, observing at the intersection of Web3 and AI, I increasingly feel a reality: the operational logic of the future world is really going to change. In the past, whatever we did had to be done manually—clicking, confirming, judging, every step required human participation. But looking ahead, the entire model will be reversed: you only need to say a word, and the whole process will be completed by an agent for you. Sounds like an efficiency improvement? On the surface, it indeed is, but underlying it is a huge cost—what we call "order cost."
The more agents there are, the stronger the autonomy and the higher the intelligence, the greater the cost required to maintain system stability. Because these agents do not just execute tasks, they are also rewriting the behavior density and behavior rhythm of the entire ecosystem. The system operates as fast as a storm, but humans simply cannot keep up. This is not a trivial issue.
It is precisely because of this understanding that the deep value of decentralized intelligent protocol systems is realized. It is not just a tool or framework, but an infrastructure laid out in advance to cope with future order costs.
We often say that the core of Web3 is decentralization, but this concept has been misinterpreted. Decentralization does not equal a state of disorder. On the contrary— the more participants there are, the more dispersed the executing entities are, and the higher the degree of decentralization, the more urgently a set of objective, transparent, and self-explanatory fundamental rules is needed. This set of rules must be as objective as mathematical formulas.
AI agents have precisely changed the operational rhythm of the old order. They execute quickly, in large volumes, and are fully automated. Unlike humans, agents do not pause to think for two seconds, do not worry about risks, and simply advance purely based on logic. Traditional permission systems are built on the assumption that "humans will hesitate, will balance, and will self-restrain." But agents have rewritten this assumption.