At first, I regarded Kite AI as just another trend-chasing project. Over the years, there have been too many projects in the blockchain space chasing the AI hype, each trying to secure funding by packaging a new concept.
Kite claims to offer a payment solution for agents, which sounds like a clever marketing gimmick. But the more I delve into it, the more I feel it’s different. Not because it shouts the loudest, but because it’s almost obsessively focused. It is addressing a real problem that hasn’t been widely recognized yet: AI agents are starting to act independently, and the current blockchain infrastructure is simply not designed for them.
Kite's approach is very practical: creating a separate chain directly for AI agents. It is compatible with EVM, making it easy for developers to use, but the underlying logic is completely rewritten. What I find clever is its three-layer identity system: clearly separating ownership, autonomy, and task execution. For instance, you could give an AI agent a budget permission of $500 per month, but it cannot touch your main wallet; once the task ends, the permissions are automatically revoked. If something goes wrong, it can also pause or reverse transactions with one click. This sounds simple, but existing public chains do not have this design.
Peeling back those popular narratives, Kite feels particularly pragmatic. It does not pursue astonishing TPS figures but focuses on real-time coordination and predictable execution. Payment speeds are fast and the range is controllable, with the ability to reverse issues at the governance level. Giving an agent limited permissions allows it to trade within a set range, and it can be shut down immediately in case of anomalies. These features are not fanciful, but rather transfer the control methods already commonly used by offline teams directly onto the chain.
The design of the KITE token is also very down-to-earth. It does not launch with full functionality right away but starts with ecological participation and incentives, encouraging developers to truly utilize it. Only later will staking, governance, and fee roles be gradually introduced. This step-by-step approach is important. Too many projects create a complete token economy from birth without proving real demand. Kite's contrarian approach shows its confidence in the product rather than relying on hype to survive.
I have been in the blockchain industry for a few years and have seen many meteoric projects. Infrastructure that can truly remain often does not stand out at first. What Kite is targeting is this point: currently, spending on AI still relies on manual recharges and managing API keys, barely able to function. But once AI starts taking orders, procuring, and settling on its own becomes the norm, the existing system will absolutely collapse. It is paving the way for the era where AI can truly work autonomously.
Of course, there are a lot of difficulties. Why would developers put real money business on your new chain? Can programmable governance keep up with the speed of machines making decisions? With thousands of AI agents trading with each other, will unexpected troubles arise? Kite provides the toolbox, but how well it will be used can only be known when it is truly on the battlefield.
Looking at the entire blockchain landscape, Kite has caught a good moment and learned many lessons. Past promises of scalability often collapse under real load, governance experiments either stagnate or split, and incentive mechanisms always lead to unexpected distortions. Kite's bet is: the next wave of truly useful blockchain will not come from human speculation, but from non-human coordination. If this judgment is correct, Kite may never dominate the headlines; it will quietly operate in the background, settling payments for agents that no longer require human approval. In the field of infrastructure, this kind of invisibility can sometimes be the highest praise.
