**AI and Blockchain Poised to Spark the Next Revolution in Business, Says Kevin O’Leary**
Multimillionaire Kevin O’Leary believes that AI and blockchain technology will ignite the “next revolution in business.” According to the Shark Tank co-host and venture capitalist, AI will autonomously make retail purchases, while blockchain will securely handle the payment processes.
In a brief three-minute video posted to X on Saturday, O’Leary explained how blockchain will underpin an emerging wave of AI-driven transactions. These transactions will cover everything from orders at major retailers like Walmart and Target to everyday purchases at burger shops and cafes.
“You simply talk to your phone and say, ‘I want a tall, low-fat latte, please. I’m going to be there in 90 seconds.’ That’s it,” O’Leary said.
He continued, “The AI analyzes where you are, looks at the geography of what retailer is nearby, and determines that that’s the one. Then, it uses a blockchain to execute a digital payment system for the tall low-fat latte.” O’Leary added, “It already knows who you are. So the retailer has your name on it when you walk in.”
### Searching for a Solution That Can Scale
Despite his enthusiasm, O’Leary noted that a fully scalable, low-cost solution for millions of simultaneous retail transactions does not yet exist. He pointed out that current blockchain platforms like Ethereum struggle with this because they process transactions linearly, causing delays and high fees during periods of peak demand.
“It’s a long highway on a way to a toll road for authentication of the transaction,” he explained. “When there are too many transactions on the highway at the same time, they get stuck at the toll and become jammed up.”
“So, we don’t have the technology yet, at least not with those platforms, to do what I just described,” O’Leary added.
### Directed Acyclic Graphs Offer a Potential Path Forward
However, alternatives to the linear blockchain model do exist. Technologies known as Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs) process transactions in a spider web-like structure rather than grouping them into single blocks.
Cryptocurrencies like Hedera and Nano utilize this architecture, though they currently represent only a small fraction of the user base compared to leading blockchains such as Ethereum and Solana.
O’Leary is on the lookout for the first project capable of achieving mass-scale adoption in this area. “This is a fantastic career opportunity,” he said. “Walmarts, Targets, and burger joints need millions of independent transactions a day, all passing through these tolls simultaneously.”
Interestingly, last year O’Leary criticized people for spending $5.50 on coffees and $15 on sandwiches when they could make them at home for a fraction of the price.
### Agentic AI Already Eases Everyday Tasks
Agentic AI — AI capable of autonomously completing tasks — is already helping consumers manage daily activities, from searching and ordering to reminders.
Kyle Okamoto, CTO of decentralized infrastructure platform Aethir, shared an example with *Cointelegraph*. He revealed that his wife developed an agentic AI solution to remind her when it’s time to restock groceries.
“She just talks to her agent regularly and says, ‘Hey, I’m out of milk,’ and it keeps track of that,” Okamoto explained. “Ultimately, it says, ‘You run out of milk every week to eight days. You haven’t told me yet, but we should probably just add milk to your shopping list.’”
Her agentic AI can organize items across multiple retailers like Target, Whole Foods, and Amazon, while even tracking which products are on sale.
“Sometimes the kids’ yogurt will be a dollar cheaper at Target because of a sale compared to Whole Foods,” he said. “She doesn’t want to keep checking all these sites for the entire list, so she has the agent do it and give her price alerts.”
### The Missing Piece: Blockchain Payments
According to O’Leary, the next critical advancement needed is a blockchain solution capable of seamlessly handling the payment side of these AI-driven transactions.
With agentic AI streamlining orders and blockchain promising secure, high-capacity payment processing, the future of retail could be transformed, making business transactions faster and more convenient than ever before.
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