Brush up on the basics, from agentic to generative, before Consensus Miami 2026.
As tech enthusiasts and early adopters, the crypto community has quickly become de facto experts on AI as well. And just like crypto, AI is shadowed by a cloud of skepticism .
We get a lot of questions about AI – generative, agentic and the Terminator-esque. And even the most basic of those questions has important depth. Under these questions are wonderings about the architecture, mechanics, and systems that undergird this technical field, as well as the autonomy, control, risks, and accountability of these machines.
With the help of our expert hosts for CoinDesk University’s School of Agentic Commerce, happening inside Consensus 2026, May 5-7, we’ve put together a list of the most basic questions about AI for finance that are actually really insightful. Autonomy, or the ability to operate independently, is useful so that you, the master, don’t have to micro-manage your AI agent. Much like you don’t want to micro-manage your human employees.
You want them to understand your business goals, be on the same page about how to achieve them, and implement the processes to get it done. But autonomy relies on trust, and as it relates to agentic AI, that means developing strong guidelines and rules for the agents to work under. Short answer, no. The longer answer depends on what you mean by understand and whether you believe humans have any free will. Yeah, it gets philosophical fast.
That said, in a human sense, no AI does not understand what it’s doing. It lacks consciousness and, with that, true comprehension. AI works as a prediction engine, recognizing patterns in data and producing outputs based on statistical probabilities. It’s kinda flattering, right?
ChatGPT thinks all my ideas are super prescient. Actually, OpenAI, the builders of ChatGPT, last year toned down that so-called sycophancy as users reported that the tool was excessively agreeing with them even when they were wrong. This is an area to keep your skepticism up. Because again, AI isn’t consciously interested in your million-dollar ideas and two cents on topics you’ve only read the Wikipedia page on.
At this point, not at a traditional financial institution. But it can have a crypto wallet! And during CoinDesk University’s School of Agentic Commerce, you’ll get several tutorials on how to set up an agent and give them a crypto wallet so they can go do your bidding on the markets. Credit cards use what’s known as “pull” technology to debit your accounts, meaning the client – you – has to be active in the transaction.
Pull payments are initiated by the payee – so they ask for payment, you authorize them to be paid. This requires manual effort each time you want to take an action. Versus crypto, including stablecoins, which utilize “push” technology that acts automatically. Push payments are initiated by the payer and, in that way, are near real-time; there’s no back-and-forth between the merchant and the consumer before a transaction occurs.
The latter payment type is ideal for agents who are given a set of guidelines for making purchases and then can execute autonomously.with hundreds of agent buyers and sellers and found that agents became overwhelmed by choice, skimping on exhaustive research and purchasing subpar goods. Not only that, though – Microsoft also found that agents were particularly susceptible to manipulation techniques by sellers.and started diverting GPU power to cryptocurrency mining – something it wasn’t told to do.
Which is why learning how to architect and orchestrate your agent army for your financial workflows is so key. From implementing strict constraints and agent monitoring checks to building in human-in-the-loop approvals, during our sessions, you’ll get clear walkthroughs of how to mitigate the risks of giving your agents an allowance. Well, friend, you can. You don’t have to use AI.
But AI is a tool to help you offload repetitive work that takes up more time than you need to. By using AI tools, you can save time on menial tasks to focus more on building your business . Learn more about how you can use AI, especially agentic AI, to streamline your business from our lineup of experts at CoinDesk University’s School of Agentic Commerce.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
2026 Met Gala Set to Begin in New York CityThe annual Met Gala will be held on Monday night, raising funds for the Costume Institute and celebrating the 'Costume Art' exhibition with a 'Fashion is Art' dress code. The event will feature red carpet arrivals starting at 5:30 p.m. with coverage available on CBS News New York at 9 p.m.
Read more »
Ashley Graham Was Hand-Sewn Into Her 2026 Met Gala LookAshley Graham’s 2026 Met Gala look was inspired by the fall 2026 runways.
Read more »
Lisa Channels Her Inner Goddess With Custom Robert Wun at the 2026 Met Gala 2026'The White Lotus' alum turned to Robert Wun for her attire.
Read more »
Revlon hot air brush vs. Conair hot air brushRevlon and Conair manufacture some of the most popular hot air brushes. Should you buy a Revlon hot air brush or a Conair hot air brush?
Read more »
Trust in crypto remains biggest barrier to adoption, say Consensus Miami 2026 panelistsSpeakers point to complexity, poor user experience and lack of transparency as key obstacles for mainstream users.
Read more »
TCU's Football's Most Important Players for 2026 Begin to Take ShapeWhich TCU football players matter most heading into 2026? Breaking down Nos. 10-6 on the Horned Frogs' roster and why their development could define the season.
Read more »