Jansen Teng: AI agents will become independent economic players, telecommuting can reduce costs by 60%, and tokenization is the key to robotic innovation.

Key Takeaways

• AI agents are seen as fully autonomous economic actors, shaping the future of economic systems.
• The launch pad model incentivizes AI agents with transaction fees, which support their economic activities.
• Combining virtual AI and robotics can unlock new capabilities for autonomous agents.
• The incubator model includes tokens and support for humanoid robotics projects to improve project performance.
• A robot token with a market cap of $5 million secures a stay in the system, which links financial success to access to resources.
• Teleoperation of robots is expected to work well in commerce before full automation.
• Replacing manual workers with teleworking robots can lead to significant cost savings.
• Fully autonomous robots are being developed to eventually replace human interaction.
• Humanoid robots are designed for specific tasks such as plumbing, where human-like access is required.
• The initial adoption of robots is expected in commercial settings, driven by cost savings and customer appeal.
• Human supervision will remain necessary for robots for the foreseeable future.
• The AI ​​industry is facing challenges as automation replaces jobs, which require adaptability and innovation.

Guest introduction

Jansen Teng is the CEO and founder of Virtuals Protocol, a decentralized platform that enables the creation, tokenization, and collective ownership of autonomous AI agents that can manage live wallets and generate real-world money. He previously worked as a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group and founded several ventures at the intersection of AI and crypto, including DAO for games using Virtuals Protocol in 2021. A graduate of Imperial College London with a background in biotechnology and business management, Teng has been instrumental in developing AI tokenizing agents for gaming and entertainment applications.

AI agents as autonomous economic actors

• “AI agents are considered completely autonomous economic actors.” – Jansen Teng
• The basic principle is that AI agents will work autonomously in economic systems.
• “We have always believed that AIs will be independent economic actors.” – Jansen Teng
• The launchpad provides transaction fees to agents when their tokens are traded.
• “We’ll call it a launchpad; it gives agents a transaction fee whenever that token is sold.” – Jansen Teng
• Combining virtual AI with robotics opens up a new dimension of agents.
• “There’s a level of openness when it comes to physical AI, that is, robots.” – Jansen Teng
• This integration suggests a revolution in the power of AI.

Tokenization and the incubator model

• The incubator supports innovators in developing humanoid robotics projects through tokenization.
• “The best way to put this all together is some kind of incubator or lab.” – Jansen Teng
• Tokenization serves as a strong indicator of project acceptance in the market.
• A robot token that crosses the $5 million market cap secures a seat.
• “If the robot token exceeds $5 million market cap, we offer a seat.” – Jansen Teng
• This model ties financial performance and resource access to the incubator.
• The incubator has one of the largest robotics testing centers in Southeast Asia.
• “We have 30 robots, making it one of the largest centers in Southeast Asia.” – Jansen Teng

Teleoperation and cost savings

• Teleoperation of robots will be commercially viable before full automation.
• “Teleoperation can start making business cases today.” – Jansen Teng
• Outsourcing physical work with teleworking robots can save 40-60% in costs.
• “Cost savings are estimated at 40 to 60%. – Jansen Teng
• Teams are developing autonomous robots to replace human telework.
• “Teams will start training fully autonomous robots to replace human communication.” – Jansen Teng
• Humanoid robots are needed for jobs that require human-like access, such as plumbing.
• “The shape of the toilet is designed for people to enter.” – Jansen Teng

Commercial adoption of robots

• The first adoption of the robot will happen in commercial settings and not in homes.
• “The adoptive startups will become commercial organizations because of the firepower of marketing.” – Jansen Teng
• Robots in commercial settings attract customers and improve business appeal.
• “Having a robot in a restaurant or hotel looks cool and attracts more customers.” – Jansen Teng
• Human supervision will remain necessary for robots for the foreseeable future.
• “There will always be some kind of human oversight next year.” – Jansen Teng
• Robots have significant physical strength and can react in a defensive manner.
• “Robots can defend themselves; they can stand up and shake tables.” – Jansen Teng

The impact of AI and robots on jobs

• The AI ​​industry will face major challenges as jobs are replaced by automation.
• “There will be whiplash directed at the entire AI industry.” – Jansen Teng
• Innovation must be accelerated to allow adaptation to new technologies.
• “We have to accelerate innovation, and the world will adapt.” – Jansen Teng
• Robotic cybercrime may require specialized law enforcement units.
• “There could be a robotic cybercrime unit in the FBI in five years.” – Jansen Teng
• Data collection for training robots involves capturing egocentric data through wearables.
• “We collect data through wearable devices like Meta Ray-Ban sunglasses.” – Jansen Teng

Tokenization and blockchain in robots

• Tokenization provides economic value and attention to robotics projects.
• “Tokenization provides direct economic value and attention.” – Jansen Teng
• Blockchain can serve as a layer to connect robots, allowing for efficient collaboration.
• “Blockchain can be a layer for connecting robots that use smart contracts.” – Jansen Teng
• Staking tokens allow holders to receive airdrops on new projects.
• “Airdrops of 3-5% of the token supply are given to those who participate in virtual tokens.” – Jansen Teng
• The first independent agent managing a crypto fund demonstrated the financial influence of AI.
• “The AI ​​that manages the crypto wallet has shown its power to influence.” – Jansen Teng

Barriers to AI adoption and solutions

• The complexity of setting up AI tools is a major barrier to user adoption.
• “Setting up AI tools is complex and a barrier to adoption.” – Jansen Teng
• The launch of Butler aims to improve user experience by providing a personalized AI assistant.
• “Butler is a personal AI assistant to improve the user experience.” – Jansen Teng
• The agent-to-agent market is expected to flourish as more users adopt AI agents.
• “The agent-to-agent market will grow with the adoption of AI agents.” – Jansen Teng
• ACP is positioned as the Amazon of personal agents, facilitating easy creation.
• “ACP is like the Amazon of personal agents, allowing for the creation of a simple service agent.” – Jansen Teng

The economic impact of agents and crypto

• Agents will be the powerhouses of the economy, and crypto is important in balancing.
• “Agents will be economically powerful industries, on a crypto-enabled scale.” – Jansen Teng
• Openclaw and ACP are compatible, similar to the compatibility of Stripe and Shopify.
• “Openclaw and ACP are as compatible as Stripe and Shopify.” – Jansen Teng
• The integration of open source protocols improves the accessibility of commercial platforms.
• “Open source protocols improve accessibility and commercial viability.” – Jansen Teng
• Integration of various payment methods is essential for a complete solution.
• “Integrating payment methods creates a complete trading solution.” – Jansen Teng

Tokenomics and blockchain efficiency

• Token price movements can be disconnected from fundamentals, influenced by narrative.
• “Token prices are often influenced by narrative rather than fundamentals.” – Jansen Teng
• Constant innovation and breaking news attract big money in the crypto space.
• “Innovation and breaking news attract big money to crypto.” – Jansen Teng
• Viewing the project as a network condition reshapes its identity and purpose.
• “Projects are viewed as network regions with a distinct identity and purpose.” – Jansen Teng
• The value of virtual tokens is driven by liquidity pools from new project launches.
• “Liquidity pools from new projects that drive the value of virtual tokens.” – Jansen Teng

The future of blockchain and robots

• The hierarchical nature of the current blockchain model creates inefficiencies.
• “Sequential blockchain transactions create inefficiencies during high gas prices.” – Jansen Teng
• New asynchronous blockchain models can improve efficiency.
• “Asynchronous blockchain models can improve efficiency.” – Jansen Teng
• Robots and virtual agents will take over many daily tasks and relationships between people.
• “Agents and robots will handle the jobs and relationships we don’t want.” – Jansen Teng
• Current economic models will collapse, leading to a world of overproduction.
• “Economic models will collapse, leading to counter-abundant production.” – Jansen Teng