In a recent discussion that stirred both tech and finance circles, Nick Szabo, the cryptographer behind the concept of smart contracts, predicted a radical shift in how humans perceive and store value. His statement - that AI will kill gold, but Bitcoin will come out stronger - isnât just provocative; it highlights a fundamental reordering of trust, scarcity, and intelligence in our economy.
đ§ The Logic Behind âAI Kills Goldâ
Gold has historically been the ultimate store of value - physical, rare, and universally recognized. But Szabo argues that artificial intelligence changes the equation. In a world where machines autonomously mine, trade, and optimize value, physical assets lose efficiency.
Goldâs strength lies in its tangibility - but thatâs also its weakness. It canât move at the speed of data, itâs costly to store, and it doesnât integrate easily into digital economies powered by AI.
As Szabo implies, AI thrives on information, not matter. Algorithms seek liquidity and programmability - traits that gold simply lacks.
⥠Bitcoin: A Natural Ally for AI
While AI may render gold obsolete, Szabo believes Bitcoin fits perfectly into this new paradigm.
Why? Because Bitcoin already represents what AI needs most - decentralized, verifiable, and borderless value. Itâs programmable money, transparent, and natively digital.
In an AI-driven economy, where code executes trades and smart contracts autonomously allocate resources, Bitcoin becomes the âbase layerâ of digital trust.
Unlike gold, it doesnât need vaults or intermediaries. Itâs energy-backed, algorithmically scarce, and operates in the same digital environment that AI does.
đ My Take
I believe Szaboâs idea isnât about gold âdyingâ - itâs about evolution. Gold will remain symbolic, maybe even nostalgic - a museum piece of the financial past. But Bitcoin will evolve alongside technology, not against it.
AI wonât just trade Bitcoin - it will understand it. Machine learning models could one day optimize mining efficiency, predict market sentiment, and even design economic policies that adapt dynamically to real-time blockchain data.
In my opinion, Bitcoinâs true value lies in its adaptability. Gold resists change. Bitcoin thrives on it.
So when AI starts running the economy, donât expect robots stacking gold bars. Expect them validating blocks. đ€đ°
Final thought: The 20th century belonged to gold. The 21st - belongs to Bitcoin and code.
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