NEAR implements AI payment through staking

cryptonews.ruPublished on 2026-07-31Last updated on 2026-07-31

Abstract

NEAR AI, a platform for confidential computing and autonomous AI agents, has introduced a new way to pay for AI computational resources using staking of NEAR tokens. Instead of a monthly subscription paid by credit card, users can lock up a certain amount of NEAR tokens to receive monthly compute credits, with the credit amount dependent on the staked sum. The tokens are not spent or deducted; they remain in the user's ownership and can be returned to their wallet after unstaking. Users can increase or decrease their staked NEAR based on their usage of AI services. The mechanism supports 43 models available on NEAR AI, including solutions from Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google, and is designed for confidential query processing and autonomous AI agent operation. This new mechanism is the first practical application of the "AI money" concept previously proposed by NEAR, which aims to directly link the use of AI services to the cryptoasset underlying the network.

$NEAR AI — a platform for confidential computing and launching autonomous AI agents — has introduced a new way to pay for AI computational resources through staking $NEAR tokens. Instead of a monthly subscription paid with a bank card, users can lock a certain amount of $NEAR and receive computational credits each month. The credit volume depends on the amount staked.

The tokens are not deducted or spent in the process. They remain in the user's possession and can be returned to the wallet after unstaking. The user can increase or decrease the amount of staked $NEAR depending on their AI service usage.

The mechanism supports 43 models available on $NEAR AI, including solutions from Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google. It is designed for confidential query processing and the operation of autonomous AI agents.

The new mechanism is the first practical application of the "AI money" concept previously proposed by $NEAR. Its idea is to directly link the use of AI services with the cryptoasset underlying the network.

Image: Magnific

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Related Questions

QWhat is the new AI payment method introduced by NEAR AI, and how does it work?

ANEAR AI introduced a payment method for AI computational resources using staking of $NEAR tokens. Instead of traditional monthly subscriptions, users lock a certain amount of $NEAR in staking. Based on the staked amount, they receive corresponding computational credits to use AI services each month. The staked tokens are not spent and remain in the user's possession, available to be withdrawn from staking and returned to their wallet.

QWhat happens to the staked $NEAR tokens? Are they spent when using AI services?

ANo, the staked $NEAR tokens are not spent or deducted when using AI services. They remain in the user's ownership. After unstaking, they can be returned to the user's wallet. The user can adjust the staked amount based on their usage needs for AI services.

QWhich AI models are supported by NEAR AI's new payment mechanism?

AThe new payment mechanism on NEAR AI supports 43 models, including solutions from Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google.

QWhat is the primary concept behind this new payment system, and how is it described by NEAR?

AThe new payment system is the first practical application of the "AI money" concept proposed by NEAR. This concept aims to directly link the use of AI services with the native crypto asset (in this case, $NEAR) that underpins the network.

QWhat are the key features or design goals of the NEAR AI platform mentioned in the article?

AThe NEAR AI platform is designed for confidential computing and running autonomous AI agents. Its new staking-based payment mechanism is specifically geared towards confidential processing of requests and supporting the operation of these autonomous AI agents.

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