The race to build the next generation of digital economies is increasingly shifting toward artificial intelligence, and Saga is making a decisive move to position itself at the center of that transformation.
The company announced the launch of Saga AI Labs, a new division dedicated to developing AI-native consumer platforms, autonomous digital characters, and synthetic relationship technologies. The move comes as Saga accelerates its focus on the rapidly emerging AI agent economy, a sector attracting significant investment and attention from both venture capital firms and major technology companies.
As part of the transition, Saga has transferred operational stewardship of its blockchain network and cryptocurrency ecosystem to Alapin Holdings, a protocol operator within the dao5 family. The decision allows Saga to concentrate its resources on expanding its growing AI business while ensuring the continued development of its blockchain infrastructure under dedicated management.
According to the company, the shift reflects a broader strategic evolution that has been underway for the past two years as demand for AI-powered digital experiences has accelerated.
Under Saga AI Labs, the company will focus on creating persistent AI characters capable of interacting with users across social media platforms, messaging applications, games, and digital marketplaces. Unlike traditional digital characters confined to a single product or platform, these AI-powered personalities are designed to operate continuously across multiple digital environments.
The company has already begun deploying the technology through partnerships in gaming and entertainment.
One of its most visible collaborations involved mobile gaming studio Etermax, where Saga helped launch an AI-powered version of Willy, the host of the globally successful Trivia Crack franchise. The mobile game has generated more than 800 million downloads worldwide, making it one of the most recognized trivia platforms in the gaming industry.
Additional projects include a partnership with GFAL to introduce Crystal Beaumont, an AI-driven influencer character associated with the mobile game Diamond Jewels. The company has also collaborated with BONOXS to develop an AI-powered community manager for BONOXS Arena, where the agent engages players participating in tournament ecosystems for titles such as Valorant and Garena Free Fire.
These initiatives represent a growing trend toward AI-powered intellectual property that extends beyond traditional game environments. Rather than existing solely within a game, AI characters can engage with audiences across social channels, generate content, answer questions, onboard users, and guide consumers toward broader digital ecosystems.
The company says additional AI character launches tied to established gaming and entertainment brands are expected later this year.
The strategic pivot comes amid growing momentum behind the AI agent economy, a rapidly developing market where autonomous software agents increasingly perform tasks on behalf of users, brands, and digital intellectual property owners.
For Saga, the opportunity is already moving beyond experimentation. The company deployed its first AI agent prototypes at GDC 2025 and has continued expanding the technology through internally developed training models designed specifically for autonomous, always-on digital personalities.
These systems are now being adapted for applications beyond gaming, including consumer brands, sports organizations, and broader commercial markets seeking new forms of audience engagement.
“With AI, characters stop being static intellectual property and start behaving more like life-like actors,” said Rebecca Liao, CEO of Saga. “They can interact with audiences continuously, create content, promote experiences and eventually participate directly in digital economies. That fundamentally changes the reach and potential impact synthetic relationships can have on established components of digital consumer businesses.”
Beyond its AI ambitions, Saga’s decision to hand off responsibility for its blockchain network may signal an important shift in how digital infrastructure is managed across the crypto industry.
Historically, blockchain networks have remained under the stewardship of their founding organizations or nonprofit foundations. Saga’s transition introduces a different model, one in which mature blockchain ecosystems operate independently under specialized infrastructure managers while founding teams pursue new technological opportunities.
The company believes this approach demonstrates the growing maturity of blockchain networks as standalone infrastructure assets.
“This shows that a successful blockchain network can become an infrastructure asset in its own right,” Liao said. “The ecosystem is strong enough to stand on its own while we focus on building the next generation of AI-driven digital economies.”
Moving forward, Alapin Holdings will oversee the operation and expansion of the Saga network while Saga AI Labs directs its attention toward scaling AI-driven digital characters, autonomous software agents, and AI-native consumer ecosystems.
The announcement underscores a broader convergence taking place across the technology sector, where artificial intelligence, digital identity, and decentralized infrastructure are increasingly intersecting. As investment and innovation continue to flow into AI agents, Saga is betting that the future of online engagement will be driven not by static digital assets, but by intelligent, autonomous personalities capable of participating directly in the digital economy.
