Aptos to release Microsoft-powered AI chatbot in bid to boost adoption

Aptos will also run validator nodes on Microsoft’s cloud platform Azure

August 9, 2023 10:20 am

The Art of Pics/Shutterstock modified by Blockworks

On Wednesday, Microsoft and Aptos Labs announced a partnership to build an artificial intelligence chatbot while also exploring asset tokenization. Aptos will also run validator nodes on cloud platform Azure, aiming to enhance the “reliability and security” of the Aptos blockchain.

After Meta shelved its diem stablecoin project, much of the initiative’s original team regrouped under Aptos Labs, aiming to resurrect and realize the vision of the abandoned project.

The AI chatbot, dubbed the Aptos Assistant, is intended to provide information about the Aptos blockchain to interested participants, making it easier to “onboard” users into Web3.

Newsletter

Subscribe to The Breakdown

It also seeks to aid developers in building both decentralized apps and smart contracts.

The assistant is tied to Microsoft Azure’s Open AI in an effort to “democratize the use of blockchain enabling users to seamlessly onboard to Web3 and innovators to develop new exciting decentralized applications using AI,” according to Microsoft’s Rashmi Misra.

“Artificial Intelligence and blockchain technologies are quickly converging for one important reason: They are both generational breakthroughs that profoundly impact the evolution of the internet and shape society,” said Mo Shaikh, CEO of Aptos Labs.

The partnership will allow Microsoft and Aptos Labs to explore asset tokenization, payments, and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) to further embed Web3 within the realm of “financial services enterprises.”

This marks the third collaboration Microsoft has announced this summer with a focus on blockchain technology. Previously, Microsoft teamed up with Axelar, Ankr and Matter Labs.

Axelar and Microsoft teamed up back in July to build out a data integration and interoperability layer with a desire to “further advance the adoption of blockchain technologies.”

The partnership between Ankr, Matter Labs and Microsoft will integrate technology from Ankr’s solutions — following Ankr’s earlier team-up with Microsoft in June — while including zkSync Era’s blockchain network and Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure.

Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

The Breakdown: Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily.
0xResearch: Alpha in your inbox. Think like an analyst.

Tags

Newsletter

The Breakdown

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Digital Asset Summit 2026

Javits Center North | 445 11th Ave

Tues - Thurs, March 24 - 26, 2026

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

buy tickets learn more

recent research

Research

Kinetiq Protocol: From LST Infrastructure to HIP-3 Deployer

Kinetiq has established itself as Hyperliquid's dominant liquid staking protocol, holding 82.5% of LST market share with $610M in TVL. The protocol is now expanding beyond its kHYPE staking core into higher take-rate verticals: iHYPE for institutional custody rails, Launch for HIP-3 capital formation, and Markets for builder-deployed perpetuals. We view Markets, launching Jan. 12, as the highest-potential product line given its mechanically scalable, activity-linked unit economics. Near-term revenue remains anchored by kHYPE's KIP-2 fee schedule (~$1.6M annualized), while Markets provides embedded optionality if HIP-3 economics normalize post-Growth Mode. KNTQ's setup is relatively clean: zero insider unlocks until November 2026, 6.2% buyback yield from staking revenue, and cleared airdrop overhang. Risks center on unproven Markets execution, declining kHYPE TVL despite ongoing incentives, and competition from Hyperliquid's native initiatives.

by Shaunda Devens