Author: Hong Kong Wen Wei Po Reporter Chen Jianxing
●Xiao Feng (left) recently accepted an exclusive interview with host Chen Weiming of "Jing 'Wei' Lun". Photo by Hong Kong Wen Wei Po reporter Wan Shuangling
AI and blockchain share an "integral and dual-faceted" relationship. With the viral popularity of AI Agent OpenClaw, AI can autonomously work for humans and replace certain tasks, but it also highlights the security issues of AI Agents. Granting them a digital identity through blockchain is one effective method to manage AI Agents. HashKey Chairman and CEO Xiao Feng stated in a recent interview with "Jing 'Wei' Lun" that he is not an AI technology expert, but from the perspective of blockchain and digital financial infrastructure, AI and encryption technologies are gradually moving towards deep integration. With the rapid rise of cutting-edge AI agents like OpenClaw, future AI Agents may no longer be just tools but economic entities requiring independent "identities" and "native wallet accounts." Blockchain technology is precisely the key tool to bind digital identities to AI agents.
Discussing the identity system of AI agents, Xiao Feng believes that all AI Agents will have independent "identities" in the future. However, this "identity" will not follow the real-world ID system but will be achieved through blockchain-based addresses and Soulbound Tokens, which is a technically suitable solution. He pointed out that it is impractical for AI agents to adopt the human ID system of the real world and mentioned that the concept of "Soulbound Token" was proposed by the founder of Ethereum seven years ago, which is an extension of the concept of "Non-Fungible Token (NFT)" when it first emerged. Since each NFT is unique, through NFT and blockchain technology, a digital identity can be bound to each AI agent.
"If AI Agents begin to operate independently from humans and create economic value, they will certainly need an account. Currently, the only suitable form appears to be a digital wallet, not an account opened by a bank for the Agent," Xiao Feng said. He explained that during the AI large model phase, tokens purchased by users through traditional bank accounts can be consumed to call services of large models developed in China. However, when it comes to free payment scenarios between Agents, the traditional bank account system cannot support it due to limitations such as restrictions on the number of accounts for multiple agents, unclear responsibility attribution, high payment costs, and low operational efficiency. It is reported that HashKey Group has joined the Agent Payment Protocol (AP2) technology alliance initiated by Google, collaborating with institutions like PayPal, Circle, and UnionPay International to explore the AI Agent payment system and research applications such as stablecoin payments, on-chain identity, and on-chain settlement for AI Agents.
In the Future, Each Person May Have 50 AI Agents
Xiao Feng pointed out that in recent exchanges with AI experts and scholars, a consensus has generally formed that AI and encryption technologies (blockchain/cryptocurrency) are integral and dual-faceted, and the two will eventually deeply integrate, mutually empowering and complementing each other. He further cited the views of AI experts, noting that in the future, each person may have up to 50 AI Agents. These agents will seamlessly permeate all aspects of our lives, from daily trivial matters to complex decisions, significantly enhancing personal efficiency and quality of life.
Hong Kong Has the Conditions to Become the "Wall Street" of Digital Finance
Facing global competition amid the AI boom, Xiao Feng believes that Hong Kong possesses the unique advantage of "relying on the motherland." By leveraging this advantage effectively, Hong Kong can occupy a central position in the global digital economy landscape. He pointed out that in the three major fields of the internet, blockchain, and artificial intelligence, China and the United States basically dominate. As part of China, Hong Kong can fully leverage the vast talent resources, asset resources, and technological resources of the mainland, which is a unique advantage difficult to replicate elsewhere in the world. With its positioning as a "super connector" and the institutional advantages of common law under "one country, two systems," Hong Kong is fully capable of achieving the SAR government's goal of building a "global digital asset center." It may even promote the evolution of the global financial landscape from the previous "New York-London-Hong Kong" pattern to a "New York-Hong Kong-London" pattern, further elevating Hong Kong's status in the global financial system.
