Source: Cointelegraph Original: "{title}"
Views from: Steven Smith, Head of Protocol and Application Research at Tools for Humanity
Blockchain was supposed to be a transparent, decentralized, and open trust system. However, the advent of the AI era has brought new challenges—nearly half of internet traffic comes from bots, and today, 80% of blockchain transactions are completed by automated programs, with AI agents dominating on-chain activities.
While some bot services have legitimate uses, those "locusts" used for airdrop farming and fake account creation are clogging the network, driving up fees, and monopolizing resources. Humanity must safeguard our cherished blockchain ecosystem, ensuring that people are not disadvantaged by automated systems, are protected from Maximum Extractable Value (MEV) attacks, and do not have to pay exorbitant gas fees just to squeeze into blocks.
The takeover by bots has become a reality
AI bots are deeply infiltrating the network, executing more complex operations: dominating transaction volumes, driving up gas fees, and manipulating DeFi markets. Certain networks have seen failure rates soar above 75% due to bot congestion, and even the Ethereum mempool is filled with automated transactions, forcing real users to compete for scarce block space.
The problem has transcended the blockchain realm and is impacting the entire economic system. AI-driven bots are set to disrupt traditional banking and financial services, threatening the foundational models of fund management and trade execution. It is only a matter of time before malicious actors deploy AI fraud tools on a large scale, creating unprecedented security nightmares for financial institutions, businesses, and users.
In the distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks faced by the banking industry in 2024, 55% were driven by AI botnets. If no action is taken, humanity may hand over control of decentralized and traditional financial systems to automated systems optimized solely for speed and scale.
Scalability is not a panacea
Current solutions primarily focus on scalability. Layer 2 networks, Rollups, and high-performance execution clients make transactions faster and cheaper. However, neglecting human users in scalability efforts can backfire: low fees drastically reduce the cost of attacks, making it easier for bots to proliferate; rapid transactions allow AI traders to outpace human investors.
Similar cases are not uncommon: Zcash suffered from a spam trading attack that led to network paralysis; Manta Network experienced DDoS attacks during its token issuance, causing withdrawal delays; bots manipulated gas prices during high traffic periods on Ethereum, resulting in delays and soaring costs for real user transactions. While scalability is crucial, another fundamental element of blockchain design—Proof of Humanity (PoH)—is equally important.
Proof of Humanity infrastructure
This digital verification mechanism can confirm the authenticity and uniqueness of users. As the scale of AI agents expands, PoH is key to retaining control of blockchain systems in human hands, ensuring that the on-chain world does not become a playground for bots.
The PoH system promotes a "human-first" evolution of blockchain: networks should reserve exclusive block space for verifying users, preventing bots from crowding out critical transactions; provide gas subsidies for human users to avoid being priced out during network congestion; and establish anti-bot spam trading protection mechanisms while optimizing execution client efficiency.
Blockchain has made significant progress in scalability, interoperability, and security, but ensuring a quality experience for human users is equally important. As an industry, we must establish the ability to distinguish between real users and bots, which is the foundation for sustainable ecological development.
The moment of choice has arrived: will we allow destructive bots to take over the network, deviating from the original intent of decentralization; or will we establish necessary parameters to create a human-centered, controllable, and beneficial bot ecosystem, ensuring fairer access and sustainability? Action is urgent—this not only concerns the future of blockchain but also determines the construction of human society on-chain.
Views from: Steven Smith, Head of Protocol and Application Research at Tools for Humanity
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This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or investment advice. The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not represent the position of Cointelegraph.
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