A quiet revolution is changing how we use blockchains, and at its core is one of crypto’s latest buzzwords: "intent."

Simply defined, intent is a blockchain user’s specific goal. While no two "intent-centric" systems are the same, they all work similarly: users, whether traders or protocols, submit their intent to a service, which then outsources it to a "solver"—which could be a person, an AI bot, or another protocol—that does everything possible to get the job done.

These are becoming increasingly important as blockchains expand rapidly. With the proliferation of Bitcoin, Ethereum, a host of Layer 1s, Layer 2s, and now even Layer 3s, alongside countless "bridges" and other "interoperability" solutions connecting them, it’s all becoming more daunting.

As the crypto market matures, "what you can do on a blockchain becomes more complex," explains Arjun Bhuptani of interoperability protocol Connext. "At any given time, you have an infinite number of ways to perform a transaction."

Newer intent-centric services promise to find users the best way to accomplish tasks—enabling them to maximize trading profits and save on gas fees, among other benefits.

But these platforms’ advantages come with risks, and some observers have sounded the alarm: while we may welcome third-party solvers to handle our blockchain busywork, the new services could spawn a new generation of monopolists.

Blockchains can be thought of as giant global computers. Traditionally, users provide detailed instructions (e.g., "swap Token A for Token B at a specific price using Uniswap"), and the blockchain executes them step by step.

In the new intent world, however, this model is flipped. Users express what they want to accomplish (e.g., "swap A for B at the best price") without specifying how, leaving the protocol to manage the details.

A taxi analogy works here. Traditional blockchain services are like giving turn-by-turn directions to a driver, which can be tedious and costly if your route is convoluted or lacks shortcuts. With intent, all you do is give the taxi driver a destination, then sit back and trust your driver.

A new wave of blockchains and protocols, including Anoma, Flashbots, and CoW Swap, are already offering intent-centric services to crypto users. Users can submit broad goals like "swap these tokens at the best price" to one of these services, with third-party solvers paid to handle it.