Brothers, pay attention! Recently, there has been a hot discussion in the circle about a new standard that may surpass inscriptions — the X402 protocol. Some say this is the "inscription of the AI era," while others say it is the foundation for the next layer of Web3. Today, let's clarify this completely!
1. Inscriptions change storage, X402 changes payment.
Do you remember why inscriptions became popular?
It allows anyone to engrave data on Bitcoin.
Transforming images and text into on-chain assets.
It has opened the era of "everyone can issue tokens."
But inscriptions only solved the problem of "how to store on-chain," while X402 addresses the more critical issue of "how to settle payments!"
Two, what exactly is X402?
In simple terms, X402 is a Web3 payment protocol that allows web pages, AIs, and APIs to charge automatically.
Its operation process is super simple:
You (or your AI) access paid services
Page prompt: 'Please pay 0.05 USD USDC'
Results are automatically returned after payment is completed
No registration, login, or card binding is required throughout the process; AI can spend money to buy services on its own!
Three, why does the AI era need X402?
The main force of future internet access will no longer be humans, but AI:
AI needs to search for information and call models
Need to purchase computing power, call interfaces
Even hire other AIs to assist with work
But AI cannot swipe cards; it needs a payment method that machines can understand. X402 is that bridge!
Four, where does the wealth effect come from?
The explosive popularity of inscriptions in 2023 is because no one thought a line of code could open a new economic system. Now X402 follows the same logic—it's not a specific project but a standard!
Once the standard is popularized, the entire ecosystem will build applications around it. Currently, a batch of early projects is emerging:
$PING (minting verification)
$SANTA (AI team collaboration)
$AURA (AI backend)
$MRDN (settlement)
$PAYAI (payment channel)
Five, Inscription VS X402: essential differences
Inscription: Users initiate transactions, writing content into blocks
X402: AI initiates requests, automatically completes payments
Inscription records 'data', X402 records 'capital flow';
Inscription is driven by emotions, X402 is driven by real usage.
Six, how do ordinary people layout?
Understand the essence: X402 is not a coin, but a payment channel
Focus on ecosystem projects (listed above)
Pay special attention to transaction data and usage frequency
Remember: this wealth does not come from simple hype but from real usage demand. The more frequent the transactions, the more valuable the protocol!
Seven, ultimate summary
The inscriptions of 2023 allowed humanity to store value on-chain for the first time;
X402 in 2025 will allow machines to pay value on the network for the first time.
From 'everyone can issue assets' to 'AI participates in the economy', this is a qualitative leap!
Brothers, this wave is not a short-term hotspot but a foundational moment for a new layer of the internet. Follow me for the next share on specific participation methods and potential project analysis!
#X402 protocol #AI payment #next generation internet
