- Tether launched an open-source AI project with seamless WDK integration for crypto payments.
- The initiative expands Tether’s reach into AI and decentralized infrastructure.
- Q1 profits hit $1B, with 13% wallet growth and increased USDT adoption in underserved regions.
Tether, the issuer of the world’s most widely used stablecoin USDT, has announced a bold new move into artificial intelligence with the launch of “Tether AI,” a decentralized, open-source initiative designed to power AI development free from traditional infrastructure constraints. Spearheaded by CEO Paolo Ardoino, the project introduces an AI runtime engine named “Personal Infinite Intelligence,” aiming to democratize access to AI by eliminating the need for centralized APIs, proprietary systems, and gatekept platforms.
Tether AI Integrates Seamlessly With WDK Payments
Tether AI relies on seamless consolidation with the company’s own Wallet Development Kit (WDK) so that USDT and Bitcoin transactions are direct and efficient. This makes the AI runtime a unique confluence of blockchain utility and AI at a time when there is a huge market for permissionless, privacy-minded digital systems globally.
Alex Thorn, Galaxy Research, sees the announcement as a strategic expansion of Tether’s reach into decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN) & AI native application ecosystems. The SDK provides native crypto payment support with a flexible modular structure that allows Tether AI to usher in a new frontier of intelligent automation, including friction-free microtransactions and autonomously programmable agents not subject to intermediary or centralized endpoints.
However, the security is still a big concern for the initiative. By optimizing the framework for localized execution and reducing exposure to widespread vulnerabilities through the use of the open source framework, exposure to such vulnerabilities is drastically reduced. Still, analysts recognize that the diversity of hardware across the landscape of the Internet of Things (IoT) could introduce volatility risks. However, Tether’s entrenched liquidity and vast user base, even in emerging markets, make an early adoption fertile ground.
USDT Powers Innovation in Underserved Regions Globally
Given USDT’s current importance as a leading financial gateway in underserved regions, Tether AI is positioned to usher in the age of new applications linking artificial intelligence with decentralized finance. Such fusion could transform the processes of value exchange and computation across digital networks.
Tether also announced that it has released its Q1 2025 financial attestation, which is in tandem with the AI announcement. This is the first one under regulatory oversight from El Salvador. The report also verifies the company’s good cash flow, backed by $143.6 billion in issued USDT and $149.3 billion in reserves. About $120 billion of those reserves are contained within the United States.
However, the company reported operating profits in the neighbourhood of $1 billion, adding $7 billion to the USDT supply. The total user count reached close to 415 million, with a 13% increase in wallet growth, of which a large chunk has been brought on by developing economies. Additionally, 37% of Tether’s users now hold USDT for savings purposes, indicating an increasing trust that stable digital currencies are viable alternatives to traditional banking in places with little purpose.
