SELF ACADEMY: AI AGENTS
Introduction
AI Agents are not chatbots. They are autonomous systems built to execute, not just converse.
As blockchain infrastructure matures, the demand shifts from building isolated applications to orchestrating seamless, automated interactions across ecosystems. That requires agents, capable of interpreting data, executing logic, and making decisions, without constant user input.
On Self Chain, AI Agents operate within a modular execution environment that supports intent interpretation, & multi-chain access. This makes them capable of more than just querying data or suggesting actions, they can carry out entire workflows across chains autonomously.
The combination of intent-centric design, keyless wallet infrastructure, and chain abstraction allows these agents to act on behalf of contracts, users, or DAOs; efficiently, securely, and without fragmentation.
This module breaks down what AI Agents actually are, how they work in production environments, and why Self Chain is built to support a new class of decentralized automation.
What are AI Agents?
AI Agents are autonomous software entities designed to make decisions and execute tasks without constant human or developer intervention. In the context of blockchain, they represent a shift from manual interaction to automated execution; where intent, logic, and outcome are decoupled from user clicks and on-chain micromanagement.
An AI Agent operates by observing inputs (such as user-defined goals, market conditions, or on-chain events), interpreting them through predefined logic or learned models, and acting accordingly; often across multiple chains and protocols.
Unlike traditional bots or scripts that follow a static routine, AI Agents are adaptive. They can:
- Interpret unstructured inputs (like natural language or intents)
- Make decisions based on real-time data
- Execute complex, conditional workflows
- Optimize for cost, performance, or other parameters
They are not tied to a single app or protocol. Instead, they exist as modular, permissioned agents capable of navigating across systems, executing trades, moving funds, triggering events, and more.
Types of AI Agents
AI Agents can take on many roles, depending on how they’re designed. Here are a few that are most relevant in blockchain systems:
- Execution Agents
Agents that carry out user-defined actions such as token swaps, bridging, or staking based on predefined preferences or conditions.
- Monitoring Agents
These agents observe markets, wallets, or smart contracts and take actions when thresholds are met, like auto-withdrawing from a yield farm or hedging against volatility.
- Optimization Agents
Focused on efficiency, these agents select the best route for a given task, like minimizing gas fees, reducing slippage, or maximizing staking returns.
- Delegation Agents
Used in DAO or governance contexts. They vote or propose on behalf of users based on policy logic, reducing passive participation.
- Compositional Agents
Agents that collaborate with other agents or systems. These are the foundation for AI swarms, multi-agent systems that share tasks and solve problems together.
Each of these can operate independently or be stacked into more complex agentic workflows that handle full transaction lifecycles.
AI Agents vs Chat Box
The term “AI agent” is often misused to describe any interface that uses natural language, including chatbots embedded into dApps or wallets. But while both may fall under the broader AI umbrella, their function, scope, and impact are fundamentally different.
A chat box is designed to assist with user interaction. It’s a front-end layer that helps users navigate, ask questions, or access features through conversation. Its role is reactive, it waits for input and returns a response, often based on pre-programmed prompts or an LLM model. It doesn’t execute anything on-chain. It doesn’t interpret intent beyond conversation. And it doesn’t take action without the user’s approval every step of the way.
In contrast, a true AI Agent is autonomous. It’s designed to carry out real tasks; executing logic, making decisions, and interacting directly with on-chain systems. It works in the background, often without needing continuous user input, and can be permissioned to act on behalf of users or applications. These agents can manage workflows, optimize actions, and route transactions; all based on pre-defined rules or dynamic conditions.
Chat boxes improve user experience on the surface. AI Agents reshape how blockchain infrastructure functions underneath. One is an interface. The other is execution.
Fundamentally, AI Agents could be chat boxes but not all chat boxes are AI agents.
Self Chain’s Agentic System
Self Chain’s agentic system is structured around modular execution, allowing AI Agents to interpret, decompose, and fulfill user intents without requiring custom infrastructure or external middleware. The process is entirely native to the chain, secure, composable, and cross-chain compatible.
The Intent SDK brings advanced intelligence to the blockchain by enabling AI agents to leverage on-chain LLMs (Large Language Models).
Essentially, agentic system on Self Chain is made possible through the coordinated interaction of five key components:
- The Intent SDK
Agents on Self Chain use the Intent SDK, which serves as the interface for:
- Interpreting and converting user inputs (including natural language) into actionable intents
- Accessing cross-chain state and metadata
- Optimizing execution plans (e.g. gas savings, latency, slippage tolerance)
- Binding actions to signing infrastructure
An intent is a structured representation of what the user (or agent) wants to achieve, e.g. “Lend 50% of my ETH balance on Aave” It doesn’t specify how; the execution path is derived by the network or the agent.
Agents operate by:
- Receiving these intents (from users, contracts, or other agents)
- Parsing them using a combination of custom logic and LLM-based interpretation
- Generating an execution plan
- Submitting the plan as a verifiable transaction to the Self Chain network
Because intents are verifiable and structured, agents don’t need to hardcode logic per chain, they interpret outcomes and map execution dynamically.
- Keyless Wallets (MPC-TSS/AA)
Agents on Self Chain use keyless wallets, secured through MPC-TSS and Account Abstraction.
This gives agents programmable signing authority without holding private keys. Signing is distributed and permissioned so agents can only execute pre-approved actions.
Key advantages:
- No exposed private keys
- Fine-grained control over signing permissions
- Safe automation through delegated authority
This infrastructure is what makes it safe for agents to operate autonomously within a defined execution perimeter.
- Chain Abstraction
Self Chain’s native chain abstraction layer allows AI Agents to operate across multiple blockchains as if they were interacting with one unified system.
Agents don’t manage bridges, token standards, or cross-chain message formats. Instead, they define what needs to happen (e.g. bridge ETH on Ethereum to ETH on Arbitrum), and Self Chain handles the orchestration behind the scenes.
This enables:
- Seamless routing of actions across chains
- Multi-chain liquidity aggregation
- Cross-chain function calls without custom integration
- A single execution plan that spans multiple networks
For agents, this means one execution path, regardless of how many chains it touches.
- Universal Account Abstraction
To operate freely, agents require secure, permissioned access to accounts without relying on user signatures for every step.
Self Chain introduces Universal Account Abstraction, which allows:
- Delegated signing via agents without compromising user custody
- Gas sponsorship by dApps or solvers
- Recovery, social login, and advanced access models at the account level
This ensures that agents can initiate and complete complex transactions, on behalf of users or applications, while respecting permission models and security constraints.
- Execution Layer
The final component of the agentic system is the modular execution layer, composed of:
- Searchers: Compete to find optimal execution routes for agent intents (e.g. cheapest swap path, best APY).
- Solvers: Fill the order, cover gas fees, and submit transactions to the chain. They’re the “doers” in the system.
- Settlement Layer: Verifies that intents are fully satisfied, compensates participating actors, and finalizes execution outcomes.
This architecture allows agents to focus purely on logic and decision-making, leaving cost optimization, execution mechanics, and fulfillment to specialized actors within the system.
Conclusion
As DeFi and Web3 systems get more complex, execution becomes the bottleneck. Users can’t manage workflows across five chains and ten protocols. Developers can’t build seamless automation on rigid infrastructure.
AI Agents abstract away this complexity.
They allow applications and users to define outcomes, not steps, and let the infrastructure figure out the rest. That’s the kind of automation required to scale not just usage, but usability.
Self Chain was built to support this kind of agent-native design. From its intent system to its wallet model, every layer enables agents to operate with security, composability, and full autonomy.
The future is agentic and Self Chain is built to run it.
About Self Chain
Self Chain is the AI-powered intent layer for Web3, and a Modular L1 simplifying blockchain interactions. By combining keyless wallets (MPC-TSS/AA), intent-driven automation, and seamless multi-chain access, Self Chain eliminates complexity, making Web3 more intuitive, autonomous, and secure.
With Keyless Wallets and AI-powered intent execution, users can seamlessly onboard, manage assets, and interact with dApps without handling private keys or complex transactions. Self Chain’s AgentFi Infra enables autonomous on-chain AI agents to execute transactions, optimize DeFi strategies, and interact across ecosystems, while PayFi powers seamless, real-time blockchain payment systems, aligning with the evolving demands of the emerging global economy. Developers benefit from tools like the Intent SDK, Keyless Wallet SDK, and Account Abstraction Plugins, enabling the next generation of AI-driven applications with enhanced security and efficiency.