NEAR lets users pay for AI services by staking tokens

NEAR Protocol has launched a staking-based payment system for its AI platform, allowing users to access confidential inference and autonomous AI agents by locking NEAR tokens instead of paying with a credit card. Summary NEAR Protocol has launched staking based AI payments that convert locked NEAR into monthly compute credits for AI services. Users can access all 43 AI models on NEAR AI without a credit card, while retaining ownership of their staked tokens until they choose to unstake. NEAR said the system supports confidential AI inference and always on agents through an onchain staking mechanism. The launch adds a new utility for NEAR staking after earlier initiatives including an institutional staking fund and a network upgrade that reduced token inflation. According to an announcement published by NEAR Protocol on X, the new feature converts staked NEAR into monthly compute credits that can be used across the platform’s artificial intelligence services. The protocol said users can adjust the amount they stake based on their computing needs, while the underlying tokens remain locked rather than spent and become available again after unstaking. The rollout covers all 43 AI model...