Building for the Next Million Bitcoin Users

The economy of Intelligent Digital Agents (IDAs)

Introduction

The Bitcoin revolution has only just begun. The integration of the Lightning Network (LN) has established Bitcoin as the native internet currency, primed to connect a global market without geographic restrictions. This technological advancement brings consumers and producers closer than ever before, allowing for purely digital exchanges involving services, information, and digital products.

Imagine an entrepreneur in Nigeria who develops a SaaS project. S/he can now serve customers in Europe and South America and monetize their project using the Lightning Network. The payments are secure, instant and final. The sats earned from this venture aren't just sitting idle; they can be used to pay for services from providers across Southeast Asia and North America.

This entire operation, spanning continents, occurs seamlessly without the involvement of any third-party intermediaries such as banks or financial institutions. The control over the funds rests with the entrepreneur from the moment the first satoshi hits their account.

Morover, the system's benefits don't stop there. Thanks to the diligent efforts of countless open-source contributors worldwide, the technology has matured significantly. Thousands of developers, irrespective of their experience level, can now set up their own payment gateways within hours. This progress democratizes financial transactions, dismantles barriers, and opens up the global market to anyone skilled enough to deploy code.

Despite Bitcoin's growing maturity, the world hasn't fully realized the potential of this digital revolution. Traditional methods of transaction like credit cards and PayPal, which involve third-party intermediaries, still hold sway. These intermediaries often impose restrictions such as what currency can be used, who can participate in a trade, and even if a transaction can take place or not.

Intelligent Digital Agents (IDAs) enter the room

As we explore the Bitcoin revolution's horizons, there's another player making a grand entrance - Large Language Models (LLMs). The LLMs' breakthrough represents a revolution that's nothing short of transformative. These AI-powered models have brought about a paradigm shift, changing the way we interact with digital technology at a fundamental level.

The LLMs ecosystem is dynamic and rapidly evolving. Every day, we're witnessing an explosion of innovations in the AI landscape. Intelligent digital agents, equipped with the power of LLMs, are becoming increasingly proficient at executing tasks and providing services that were once the exclusive domain of humans.

This progress is attracting considerable capital and intellectual resources. The market for LLMs and associated intelligent agents is burgeoning, with investors and innovators alike recognizing the tremendous potential. We're seeing a decisive shift towards this domain, as individuals, companies, and institutions invest their money and brainpower into harnessing the LLMs' transformative capabilities.

The emergence of LLMs underscores a fundamental truth about the digital age - the world waits for no one. While people are slow in embracing Bitcoin/LN, a storm of innovation is brewing with IDAs at is heart.

A match made in heaven

We are on the verge of a new era dominated by Independent Digital Agents (IDAs). In this new world, people will interact with IDAs in a similar way that a CEO interacts with strategic directives to various departments within a company. Just as a CEO doesn't micromanage every operation but sets high-level objectives and budget restrictions on the department, users will soon issue broad directives. IDAs will then interpret these commands, turning intent into action, much like departments execute a CEO's strategy.

While some envision a future dominated by a single "definitive" AI, I propose a different perspective. I envision a vibrant economy inhabited by millions of IDAs. Much like human society, these agents will specialize, trade, and at times opt to purchase computational services from others instead of self-executing tasks. This intricate, digital economy mirrors the diversity and interconnected-ness of our own human society.

Native digital currency plays a pivotal role in this scenario. IDAs will be tasked with countless computation tasks. From reporting data insights to plan and execute marketing campaings. . Some of this tasks will be performed in the boundaries of the IDAs economy, like reminding a human that need to attend a meeting with a SMS text, while many others will be interactions involving only IDAs.

But how will IDAs perform economic calculation? How will help them deciding which execution path is more optimal? In many cases, prices. IDAs won’t only will have to compute execution paths taking into account price, they will also have to pay (transact) to execute those plans.

Such an economy necessitates a currency. The need for a native digital currency is paramount, and no option embodies this concept better than Bitcoin/LN.

This symbiosis between AI and Bitcoin is the match made in heaven, ready to usher us into the next phase of digital evolution. As we steer towards this future, we anticipate a steep surge in Bitcoin users - and many of them may not be humans.

Imagining the Future

In this future, I see an economy bustling with Independent Digital Agents (IDAs) actively buying and selling their services and computational power. This economy won't emerge out of thin air – it will be constructed upon the robust foundation. After all, we stand on the shoulders of titans.

The Lightning Network (LN), with its high-quality node implementations, liquidity management tools, liquidity markets, and a sturdy, reliable network of nodes prepared to forward payments, provides a resilient infrastructure for this envisioned economy.

Perhaps it's time for us to adopt a new approach while creating our next service. A "machine-first" approach, where the traditional barriers of credit cards, tiered pricing structures, and cumbersome email, password, and phone verification become things of the past.

We can't predict the future with perfect precision, but we can certainly influence its direction. The best way to ensure a future that aligns with our vision is to take the reins into our hands and build it. As innovators, creators, and visionaries, we're not just spectators but active architects of the future. So, let's continue building and shaping the world we wish to see.