Big tech is 'terrified' of AI agents wiping out ad revenue, says Billions Network CEO
Billions Network CEO Evin McMullen says AI agents could break display ads and force Big Tech to rethink how the internet makes money.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
McMullen argues that AI agents can scrape and summarize content without reacting to display ads, weakening the web’s long-running ad model. She says major tech and telecom firms are scrambling, while Billions Network is positioning its cryptographic tools as infrastructure for accountable agents.
The article says smart computer helpers might read websites for people without clicking ads, like a kid asking a robot librarian for a summary instead of walking through every aisle. That could make the old internet money machine less useful.
Analysis
What McMullen is arguing
At Proof of Talk in Paris, Billions Network co-founder and CEO Evin McMullen said large tech and telecom companies are worried that AI agents could undermine display advertising, which still funds much of the internet. Her basic point is that agents do not look at banners or sidebars, so the old model of paying for human attention starts to break down.
Why the ad model is under pressure
The article says AI agents can scrape a page, summarize it, and keep the user inside a chatbot or automated workflow instead of sending that person back to the source site. That changes discovery: fewer clicks, fewer page views, and fewer chances to show ads. McMullen described the reaction from incumbents as fear over how discovery itself will work if the internet becomes more agent-driven.
What Billions Network says it is building
Billions Network is presenting itself as infrastructure for accountable AI agents. McMullen said its open-source cryptographic tools are used by more than 9,000 corporate and sovereign developers. The article also says the network supports the third-largest on-chain agent population online, behind only Binance and Base.
Where it is already used
The piece cites deployments or users including TikTok, HSBC, DeBank, India’s Ministry of Labor, and the Indian Railway system. In those examples, the focus is on securing credentials and digital identities rather than on ad tech.
The broader claim
McMullen’s view lines up with comments previously made by Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson and Cloudflare CSO Stephanie Cohen: agentic systems may disrupt the business models that shaped the modern web.
Key points
- McMullen says AI agents threaten display advertising because they do not respond to visual ads.
- She argues that AI agents are changing how discovery works by keeping users inside automated workflows.
- Billions Network says its cryptographic tools are used by more than 9,000 developers.
- The article says the network works with TikTok, HSBC, India’s Ministry of Labor, and Indian Railways.
- The story frames accountable agent infrastructure as a response to a web where automated traffic is rising.
If Billions Network’s view proves right, demand for accountable agent infrastructure could grow quickly. Its cryptographic tools may become more valuable as companies and governments look for ways to verify automated activity and secure digital identities.
The ad model may weaken faster than publishers and platforms can replace it, leaving major parts of the web with less revenue. If accountability tools do not scale fast enough, more online activity could remain opaque and harder to trust.
