What Is Fetch.ai (FET)? The AI Agent Network for a Smarter Web3

As AI rapidly becomes part of everyday workflows, the crypto industry is racing to build decentralized infrastructure where software agents can transact, coordinate, and learn without centralized gatekeepers. Fetch.ai is one of the earliest projects aimed at this intersection of AI and blockchain—an open network that lets autonomous agents discover each other, negotiate, and settle outcomes on-chain using the FET token.

This guide explains how Fetch.ai works, why AI agents matter for Web3, recent ecosystem developments, and how users and developers can participate securely.

What Is Fetch.ai?

Fetch.ai is a decentralized network built to host and coordinate autonomous software agents—programs that act on their owner’s behalf to perform tasks like searching for data, comparing prices, executing trades, or booking services. The project provides agent tooling, messaging, and settlement rails, with the FET token used for fees, staking, and network security. You can explore the project’s overview and roadmap on the official site at Fetch.ai.

Unlike simple smart contracts, agents are off-chain services capable of dynamic decision-making. They communicate peer-to-peer, request services, and commit final results to the blockchain for auditability and settlement. This model aims to reduce friction in digital markets while maintaining trust minimization and composability.

For a technical overview and onboarding resources, see the Fetch.ai documentation and developer repositories in the Fetch.ai GitHub.

• Official site: Fetch.ai
• Docs: Fetch.ai Documentation
• Code: Fetch.ai GitHub

How Fetch.ai Works

• Autonomous agents: Each agent represents a user, service, or device. Agents can discover each other, negotiate terms, and coordinate tasks without central servers. The open-source agent framework (including libraries like uAgents) helps developers quickly build and deploy agents in Python, with messaging, identity, and service registries provided out of the box. See the uAgents library.

• On-chain settlement: While most agent-to-agent logic and inference occurs off-chain for efficiency, results and payments are anchored on-chain. This ensures transparency, dispute resolution, and programmable composability with other Web3 systems.

• Cosmos-based architecture and IBC: The Fetch.ai mainnet uses the Cosmos SDK and CometBFT consensus, enabling fast finality and interoperability via the Inter-Blockchain Communication protocol (IBC). This means agents can bridge assets and data across compatible chains. Learn more about Cosmos and IBC.

• Token utility and security: FET is used for transaction fees, staking to secure the network, and governance. Validators and delegators help enforce the network’s economic security, with on-chain explorers like Mintscan for Fetch.ai providing transparency on validators, blocks, and transactions.

For a concise asset profile and token economics overview, see Binance Research on Fetch.ai.

Why AI Agents Matter for Web3

Autonomous agents bring programmable, goal-driven behavior to decentralized markets. Instead of manually scanning DEX prices, querying data, or scheduling jobs, agents can continuously negotiate and execute on behalf of users while obeying permissionless rules. This approach aligns with the broader thesis that crypto can provide open, verifiable rails for AI systems, as argued by industry analysts such as a16z’s “Why AI Needs Crypto”.

Key benefits:

• Always-on automation that reduces user friction and operational costs
• Trust-minimized settlement and audit trails
• Composability with DeFi, data markets, and cross-chain services
• A neutral, open network for AI vendors, models, and services to interoperate

Core Use Cases

• DeFi execution: Agents can monitor liquidity, slippage, and gas conditions to route orders, rebalance portfolios, or manage collateral across multiple chains.

• Data and inference marketplaces: Agents discover data providers or inference endpoints, negotiate prices, verify proofs, and settle payments on-chain—useful for AI model access, feature engineering, or real-time analytics.

• IoT and mobility: Devices can run agents to coordinate resources such as bandwidth or energy, and settle micro-payments between machines.

• Commerce and service booking: Agents handle search, comparison, and reservation tasks for travel, logistics, or compute resources, reducing tedious multi-step workflows.

Latest Developments and the ASI Alliance

In 2024, Fetch.ai joined the Artificial Superintelligence Alliance alongside SingularityNET and Ocean Protocol, announcing plans to combine tokens into a single ASI asset to streamline liquidity and collaboration in AI x crypto. Coverage of the alliance and token upgrade plans is available in CoinDesk’s reporting on the proposed ASI merger.

As of 2025, exchanges and ecosystem participants continue to implement the token upgrade in phases. Users should follow official channels for conversion timelines, supported platforms, and smart contract addresses. Verify details via project announcements on Fetch.ai and technical updates in the Fetch.ai Documentation.

Note: If you hold FET on different chains (e.g., native Cosmos or ERC‑20 representations), ensure you understand the specific upgrade path for each representation and use trusted bridges or exchange-supported conversions.

Getting Started as a Developer

• Build your first agent: Use the Python SDKs and sample templates in the uAgents library.
• Testnet and tooling: Refer to the Fetch.ai Documentation for environment setup, agent messaging, identity, and service registries.
• Interoperate via IBC: Architect cross-chain agent flows using IBC, combining data sources and liquidity from multiple Cosmos SDK chains.
• Production readiness: Design agent logic that handles partial failures, retries, and on-chain settlement confirmation. Consider economic security (fees, collateral) and cryptographic identity.

How to Hold and Use FET Securely

Agent-driven automation does not eliminate the need for strong key management. If you’re delegating staking, interacting with DeFi, or authorizing agents to operate on your behalf, keep private keys in cold storage and use secure signing flows.

• OneKey hardware wallets help protect keys offline while supporting multi-chain asset management and human-readable transaction previews. This is particularly relevant if your FET exposure spans both Cosmos-based accounts and ERC‑20 representations, or if your agents require periodic, secure signing. For more details on multi-chain security practices, consult the Fetch.ai docs and use a hardware wallet that provides transparent, open-source tooling and seamless integration with common Web3 interfaces.

Risks and Considerations

• Agent trust and reliability: Agents can make mistakes or be malicious. Favor audited frameworks, robust identity, and allowlists for counterparties.

• Economic and liquidity risks: Token upgrades, bridges, and cross-chain flows introduce complexity. Confirm contract addresses and conversion rates via official channels such as Fetch.ai and reputable research outlets like Binance Research.

• Regulatory and market volatility: AI x crypto remains a fast-moving sector. Expect rapid changes in listings, compliance requirements, and integration standards.

Conclusion

Fetch.ai aims to make Web3 more useful by letting autonomous agents transact, discover services, and settle outcomes on-chain. With a Cosmos-based architecture, IBC interoperability, and an evolving token landscape under the ASI alliance, the project sits at the frontier of AI-driven decentralized markets.

Whether you’re building agents or exploring FET, prioritize secure key management and verified information sources. For long-term participation—including staking and multi-chain usage—consider safeguarding your keys with a hardware wallet like OneKey to keep automation and signing secure while maintaining flexibility across the Fetch.ai ecosystem and the broader Web3 stack.