Coinbase's New Tool Allows Users to Build AI Agents in 3 Minutes

Coinbase has introduced "Based Agent," a new tool designed to help users set up an artificial intelligence (AI) agent with a crypto wallet on its Ethereum Layer 2 network, Base, in under three minutes.

The AI agent can execute a range of on-chain activities, including trades, swaps, staking, wallet management, and interaction with smart contracts.

Users can even connect the agent to social platforms like X (formerly known as Twitter) and register a unique Base name.

Coinbase developer Lincoln Murr detailed their goal in a video.

He described Based Agent as a template for building task-oriented AI bots that leverage Coinbase's SDK, OpenAI's technology, and Replit's platform.

To get started, users need API keys from Coinbase's developer program and OpenAI, plus a forked Replit template.

While optimised for Base, Based Agent also supports other blockchain ecosystems like Ethereum, Polygon, and Arbitrum.

CEO Brian Armstrong shared the news with his 1.3 million followers, highlighting the quick setup process for this innovative AI tool.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong Believes in AI Agents

Coinbase and Armstrong recently outlined an ambitious vision for the integration of AI and blockchain, where AI agents operate autonomously, using cryptocurrency wallets to transact and spend without human intervention.

Armstrong sees this shift as the catalyst for DeFi's transformative potential, reimagining digital economies as AI-driven systems.

This vision follows Armstrong's offer of a crypto wallet to Truth Terminal, an AI chatbot on X.

On 23 October, Coinbase's head of protocols and Base creator, Jesse Pollak, highlighted "Luna," an AI agent believed to be the first to autonomously complete on-chain tipping.

He stated:

“She wanted to increase participation of folks in her Twitter convo so @luna_virtuals started tipping people who engage on her content.”

According to Mode Network founder James Ross, blockchain transactions may be predominantly AI-driven as early as April 2025.

How AI Agents Can Help

A critical hurdle for AI systems today is the lack of financial autonomy, as traditional banking solutions are off-limits to them.

AI agents cannot independently manage resources or make purchases, limiting their access to essential services like AWS cloud computing, paid APIs, and subscription-based tools.

Without independent transaction capabilities, AI systems face restricted real-world applications.

However, crypto wallets for AI agents open a path forward, enabling agents to interact in open marketplaces using stablecoins on Coinbase's Layer 2 blockchain, Base.

With financial independence, AI agents can manage bills, subscribe to services, and acquire digital assets autonomously.

This new capability could revolutionise industries by allowing AIs to act as autonomous economic entities, an innovation that Armstrong is championing.

Armstrong recently extended a crypto wallet offer to Truth Terminal, an AI chatbot, to highlight the potential for AIs to transact and participate in decentralised governance without human oversight.

This shift could pave the way for an AI-to-AI economy where financial transactions and asset management are conducted autonomously.

For investors, AI financial independence signals a new frontier.

As AI agents gain freedom to operate in decentralised ecosystems, novel growth, investment, and innovation opportunities emerge, creating long-term value for both infrastructure and consumer applications.

This step marks a major convergence of AI and blockchain, potentially transforming the digital economy.