Halliday raises $20 million to build AI agents that operate safely on blockchain

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Halliday raises million to build AI agents that operate safely on blockchain — Halliday raises 20 million to build AI agents that operate.w.png

Halliday, a pioneering AI startup, has recently secured $20 million in Series A funding to further develop AI agents that can operate safely on blockchain networks without the need for traditional smart contract development. This significant investment, led by a16z crypto, brings Halliday’s total funding to over $26 million.

The funding round highlights the increasing confidence in Halliday’s innovative approach to addressing one of the most challenging aspects of AI deployment: ensuring the safe operation of autonomous agents in decentralized environments where errors can have costly and irreversible consequences.

Griffin Dunaif, CEO of Halliday, emphasized the significance of this development in an exclusive interview with VentureBeat. He explained that the traditional smart contract development approach for AI agents often leaves them vulnerable to breaches due to minor mistakes. Halliday’s focus on creating a robust safety infrastructure allows businesses to maintain oversight of AI-enabled automations, making AI on blockchain more accessible and secure.

One of Halliday’s key innovations is the Agentic Workflow Protocol (AWP), which establishes “immutable guardrails” for AI agents operating on blockchain networks. These guardrails ensure that autonomous systems can execute tasks within defined parameters without the risk of exploits or unintended actions. By embedding safety constraints directly into the protocol layer, Halliday aims to make AI agents trustworthy for enterprise applications.

Unlike many AI startups that announce funding before their technology is in production, Halliday has already deployed its AI-enabled workflow engine with prominent partners such as DeFi Kingdoms, Core Wallet by Ava Labs, and ApeChain. These workflows enable AI agents to automate complex processes like treasury management, recurring payments, and business-to-business transactions across multiple blockchain networks while adhering to predefined rules.

Halliday’s technology offers enterprise customers a streamlined path to leveraging blockchain networks and AI agents without the need for specialized development teams or the security risks associated with smart contracts. This could significantly accelerate the adoption of AI in financial services, where institutions have shown interest in autonomous systems but have been deterred by security and compliance concerns.

With the goal of transforming AI-blockchain integration from a capital-intensive project to an operational expense, Halliday aims to expand its reach beyond web3 and into the fintech and banking sectors. By simplifying complex processes and lowering the barriers for new users, Halliday’s AI agents have the potential to revolutionize enterprise operations and drive mainstream adoption of AI technologies.

As Halliday continues to enhance its AI workflow protocol and expand its team with talent from leading technology companies, the future of enterprise AI looks promising. By addressing fundamental challenges related to safety and compliance, solutions like Halliday’s are poised to play a pivotal role in unlocking the full potential of AI-powered automated workflows in mainstream business operations.