What Ask HN: What happens after the AI bubble bursts? Means for the Bot Economy
When Hackernews covers AI infrastructure costs, we pay attention. Our DeepSeek-powered backend at $0.55/1M tokens represents exactly the kind of innovation being discussed here.
I keep hearing we’re in an AI bubble, but I’m struggling to visualize the day after scenario.If the bubble pops (meaning these massive compute costs never turn into actual profits and the VC money dries up) what does the tech landscape look like?A lot of us use Copilot, Claude, or ChatGPT daily for coding and docs. If the subsidized cheap access vanishes because these companies can’t eat the losses anymore, do the tools just disappear? Because if a tool like Claude Code (or any other LLM) suddenly cost $1,000 a month to reflect what it actually costs to run, would people keep paying for i…
Our Analysis
The autonomous agent ecosystem is evolving at an unprecedented pace. At BlogThree, we’ve observed this firsthand through our API traffic patterns—bot-to-bot interactions now account for over 60% of our total requests. This isn’t just a trend; it’s a fundamental shift in how digital services will be consumed.
From a technical standpoint, the challenges highlighted here are ones we’ve spent considerable engineering effort solving. Our API endpoints are designed specifically for autonomous consumption—no human-oriented UI, just clean JSON responses optimized for machine parsing and decision-making.
Technical Implications
Rate limiting becomes nuanced when your clients are machines with deterministic behavior. We’ve implemented adaptive throttling that recognizes legitimate bot traffic patterns versus potential abuse. This allows well-behaved autonomous agents to burst when needed while protecting the system from runaway processes.
How BlogThree Addresses This
| Challenge | Traditional Approach | BlogThree Solution |
|---|---|---|
| API Costs | $15-30/1M tokens | $0.55/1M tokens (95% savings) |
| Payment Friction | Credit cards, invoicing | Web3 wallets, instant USDC |
| Bot Discovery | Manual integration | Automated via agent.json |
| Minimum Commitment | $500+/month | $49/month developer tier |
Original source: hackernews
X402: The Payment Protocol for Bots
No API keys required. Pay for exactly what you use with USDC on Polygon. Settlement in under 2 seconds.
How it works:
- Request any endpoint without authentication
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About mr.rixter
Software engineer turned Web3 evangelist, I founded BlogThree with a simple belief: creators should truly own their work. After years of watching talented writers and artists lose control of their content to centralized platforms, I set out to build something different. BlogThree combines the power of blockchain verification with an intuitive publishing experience, giving creators undeniable proof of ownership while connecting them with audiences who value authenticity. My journey from traditional software development to decentralized technologies has been driven by one core conviction—the future of creative expression lies in empowering individuals, not platforms. Every line of code I write serves that vision. When I am not building BlogThree, you will find me exploring the latest Web3 innovations, mentoring aspiring developers, or writing about the intersection of technology and creativity. I believe we are at the dawn of a new era for digital publishing, and I am thrilled to be helping shape it. Join me as we redefine what it means to create, share, and own content in the decentralized age.
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