From the ACP framework to the new fee mechanism, can Virtuals achieve new brilliance?

Compiled by: Tim,

After leading the hype around AI agents, Virtuals is now heading towards a stable development path. However, recent developments indicate that Virtuals may make a comeback. Here are the future developments worth noting.

ACP

A significant initiative of Virtuals is ACP: a framework specifically designed for interactions between agents. With the ACP framework, agents can autonomously manage independent wallets, track earnings, and allocate resources. Imagine a future where AI agents can collaborate without human supervision.

The ACP workflow includes:

1. Request Stage: The agent initiates the task and verifies the counterparty's identity.
2. Negotiation Phase: All parties reach a consensus on the details of the terms, compensation distribution, timelines, and success criteria, generating a protocol certificate for on-chain evidence.
3. Trading Stage: Funds are held in escrow by a smart contract.
4. Evaluation Stage: The evaluating agent confirms whether the service delivery meets the previously agreed standards, and funds are released upon meeting the requirements.

ACP's two major recent goals will focus on achieving a self-operating hedge fund and media organization. Currently, you can see a demo version showcasing ACP's functions through Virtual's lemonade stand business simulation.

To accelerate the development of the ACP framework, Virtuals has launched a hackathon competition aimed at allowing developers to build independent business projects. More project details will be officially announced in mid-April.

Data Statistics

The number of new AI agents launched on the Virtuals platform has shown a cliff-like decline trend. Currently, the new AI agents have no differentiated advantages compared to existing products, making it difficult to reverse the downturn.

The main strategy to reverse the above-mentioned downturn lies in unlocking new application scenarios for agents. Although the ACP framework is an important step in this direction, Virtuals is still exploring other avenues.

For example, Virtuals has reached a strategic cooperation with Animoca Brands, and both parties will jointly invest and accelerate the unlocking of new application scenarios, such as AI NPC characters with self-awareness and intelligent digital avatars. Although the plan is still in its early stages, this move indicates that the team is exploring how to expand its core products.

Virtuals has simultaneously updated its fee-sharing mechanism to incentivize developers to prioritize Virtuals over other competitive frameworks.

Virtuals is facing multiple development bottlenecks. However, a series of recent actions indicate that the team is actively working to overcome these challenges. The coming months will test whether it can regain growth momentum and spark new interest in AI agents in the market.