by Patrix | Jul 12, 2025
It’s not every year that two technological revolutions collide – or at least emerge at the same time. But here we are: 2025, with Bitcoin maturing into a global alternative asset and AI becoming the engine behind nearly every digital decision. The question on many minds—especially among crypto-savvy technophiles is: what will AI do to the price of Bitcoin?
There are a few ways AI could affect Bitcoin’s price over the next 12 months. Some are direct. Others are more subtle but possibly more powerful.
1. AI Trading Bots Could Amplify Bitcoin Volatility
Institutional and retail investors are already using AI models to optimize crypto trading. These aren’t your uncle’s candlestick chart bots—they’re large language models fused with sentiment analysis tools and high-frequency trading infrastructure. What does this mean for price? More short-term volatility. If enough AI traders are trained on the same datasets (like Twitter sentiment, news headlines, or Reddit chatter), they may respond similarly—amplifying market swings. An innocuous tweet or false signal could cause a cascade of AI-triggered buys or sells.
2. AI-Driven Economic Anxiety Could Favor Bitcoin
Paradoxically, the more powerful AI gets, the more worried some people get about job security, AI overreach, and centralized control. That’s not just Reddit paranoia—major tech thinkers like Jaron Lanier and even Elon Musk have warned about it. Bitcoin benefits from this distrust. As AI centralizes power into Big Tech hands, Bitcoin’s decentralized nature becomes even more attractive to the average person trying to preserve autonomy and privacy. If AI anxiety grows, Bitcoin could be seen as a “digital bunker”—a hedge not just against inflation but against algorithmic overreach.
3. AI Tools Are Onboarding New Bitcoin Users
AI is dramatically lowering the barrier for people to learn and use Bitcoin. Ask ChatGPT how to set up a wallet or run a Lightning node, and it’ll walk you through in plain English. No more scrolling through decade-old forum posts or confusing Reddit threads. That’s a quiet but powerful tailwind. If AI accelerates Bitcoin adoption even slightly, the impact on price could snowball.
4. AI Infrastructure Needs Bitcoin’s Energy Model? Maybe
This is still speculative, but worth watching: some thinkers believe AI and Bitcoin might eventually converge on the same type of energy infrastructure. Both need access to cheap, abundant, interruptible power—and some Bitcoin miners are already pivoting to provide AI computing capacity during low-energy-price windows. If this synergy grows, we could see Bitcoin price buoyed by industrial partnerships with AI infrastructure players.
What Will Happen to Bitcoin’s Price?
Well, no one really knows for sure. But here’s my working hypothesis for the next 12 months:
- AI-driven trading will increase volatility, both upward and downward.
- Adoption will accelerate slightly, thanks to AI-powered education and tools.
- Macro sentiment may turn more pro-Bitcoin, if AI fuels public anxiety about centralization and control.
- A price breakout is possible—but not guaranteed. We could see Bitcoin revisit all-time highs if AI trends fuel narrative momentum and capital inflows.
In other words: AI is more likely to be bullish for Bitcoin than bearish, especially over the next year. But as always in crypto, expect surprises—and hold with care.
by Patrix | Jun 18, 2025
In the fast-expanding world of AI search and knowledge tools, Perplexity AI has emerged as a rising star—and its new feature, Perplexity Lab, adds serious brainpower to the mix. If you’ve been frustrated with vague answers, shallow summaries, or endless Google rabbit holes, this new tool might just change your workflow forever.
What Is Perplexity Lab?
Perplexity Lab is a recently released feature from the AI search startup Perplexity.ai. It builds on the platform’s already impressive real-time search capabilities by letting users customize, control, and expand how the AI gathers and refines information.
Think of it as the difference between having a really smart assistant—and building that assistant’s brain yourself. Perplexity Lab allows you to:
- Create custom research agents that stay focused on your topic
- Use live web data, including citations, to ensure up-to-date answers
- Ask follow-up questions that build intelligently on prior responses
- Organize your queries and discoveries in shareable workspaces
It’s research, but way more powerful—and way less scatterbrained.
What Makes Perplexity Lab Stand Out?
Perplexity has always stood out for its elegant combo of search engine + language model. You get concise answers, clear sources, and a sane UI. But with Lab, it levels up into a power tool. Here’s where it shines:
1. Deep-Dive Research with Memory
Unlike the usual “ask and forget” model of chat-based AI, Perplexity Lab lets you build a persistent line of inquiry. It remembers your previous questions, citations, and insights—and lets you string them together like beads on a necklace of knowledge.
If you’re writing a paper, prepping for a podcast, or designing a course, this continuity is golden.
2. Transparent Sourcing
Each answer in Perplexity Lab comes with clickable citations, so you can fact-check and explore the original sources. No more mystery meat AI answers—you see the ingredients.
This is particularly useful for:
- Journalists checking facts in real time
- Researchers building citation trails
- Curious minds who just don’t trust black boxes
3. Custom “Agents” with Instructions
You can now create your own AI agents tailored to specific tasks. Want one to specialize in crypto regulations, another for gourmet cooking, and a third for analyzing academic papers? Go for it.
Each Lab agent can have custom instructions, memory, and topic boundaries. It’s a bit like cloning your brain and training it to be a domain expert—without the coffee addiction.
4. Collaboration and Shareability
Perplexity Lab encourages you to save and share your research paths. If you’re working with a team or teaching others, this is a huge bonus. No more emailing 20 links and scribbled notes—you can just hand them a living, navigable thread of inquiry.
What It’s Especially Good At
While it’s versatile, here’s what Perplexity Lab really excels at:
- Up-to-the-minute research using real-time web data
- Comparative analysis across multiple sources
- Synthesizing complex topics (e.g., AI policy, scientific debates)
- Building learning paths on new subjects
- Prepping briefs or outlines for writing projects
And because it draws from a curated mix of sources—including academic papers, news articles, and even Reddit—it’s not locked into the usual walled gardens.
A Personal Take
As someone who writes, researches, and occasionally disappears into Wikipedia wormholes, I’ve found Perplexity Lab to be a welcome upgrade. It feels more like a thinking partner than just a search engine. And in a world drowning in content, tools that help you think clearly are priceless.
I found it particularly effective with market technical analyses. It can quickly research, identify and analyze market movements and make projections based on a particular investment model you may favor.
It’s not perfect yet—it could benefit from better export options, and the UI sometimes hides its own power features—but the trajectory is impressive.
If ChatGPT is your workshop, Perplexity Lab might just be your library and research team rolled into one.
by Patrix | Jun 12, 2025
Remember the first time you used online banking and thought, “Wow, this is kind of magical”? Well, welcome to the next wave — DeFi. Short for Decentralized Finance, it’s not just a buzzword. It’s a full-on reimagining of how money, credit, and trust can work without middlemen. Whether you’re a crypto-curious retiree or a tech-savvy artist looking to earn passive income, DeFi is worth understanding — and maybe even using.
What Is DeFi?
DeFi stands for Decentralized Finance. It’s a collection of financial tools built on blockchain networks (mostly Ethereum for now) that let people lend, borrow, trade, and earn interest — all without relying on traditional banks or brokers.
Instead of trusting a bank to manage your savings or a lender to approve your loan, you interact with smart contracts: bits of code that automatically execute agreements when certain conditions are met. It’s finance powered by algorithms and communities rather than CEOs and suits.
A simple example:
– In a traditional bank, you deposit money and earn a pittance in interest.
– In DeFi, you could deposit crypto into a lending platform like Aave and earn significantly more interest — sometimes upwards of 5–10% or more (though riskier).
Why Is DeFi Important?
DeFi matters because it:
- Removes barriers. No bank account? No problem. If you have internet access and a crypto wallet, you can participate.
- Increases transparency. Smart contracts are open-source, so anyone can audit the rules.
- Reduces fees. No middlemen = fewer cuts taken from your money.
- Enables innovation. New financial models are emerging faster than regulators can say “compliance.”
Think of it like the Napster moment for finance — the beginning of a shift from centralized control to decentralized networks. Some regulators are nervous. Some banks are in denial. But the code is out of the bottle.
Risks and Cautions
This isn’t Grandma’s savings account. DeFi platforms can be hacked, smart contracts can have bugs, and values can swing wildly. Always:
- Start small.
- Use trusted platforms.
- Consider using a hardware wallet for extra security.
- Avoid any project that screams “guaranteed returns.”
Top DeFi Platforms to Explore (As of 2025)
1. Uniswap
- What it does: Decentralized exchange (DEX)
- Why it’s cool: No account needed; trade crypto directly from your wallet
- Best for: Swapping Ethereum-based tokens
2. Aave
- What it does: Crypto lending and borrowing
- Why it’s cool: Let your idle assets earn passive income or borrow against them
- Best for: Earning yield or getting liquidity without selling your crypto
3. Curve Finance
- What it does: Optimized for stablecoin trading
- Why it’s cool: Low fees and slippage when trading dollar-pegged coins
- Best for: People who want to minimize risk but still use DeFi
4. Lido Finance
- What it does: Liquid staking for Ethereum and other proof-of-stake assets
- Why it’s cool: You earn staking rewards and keep your assets liquid
- Best for: ETH holders who want to stake without locking up funds
5. Yearn Finance
- What it does: Automated yield farming
- Why it’s cool: Maximizes yield by moving funds between protocols automatically
- Best for: Set-it-and-forget-it DeFi investing
Is DeFi the Future?
Possibly — but not without growing pains. It still feels a bit like the Wild West, with gold nuggets and bandits side-by-side. But if you’re curious about where money is headed — or looking to step outside the traditional system — DeFi is worth your attention.
And who knows? Maybe someday your wallet will do everything your bank does — only faster, cheaper, and on your terms.
by Patrix | Jun 9, 2025
In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt took the bold step of seizing private gold holdings. Nearly a century later, whispers of a similar playbook are swirling—but this time, the asset in question isn’t glittering metal, it’s digital gold: Bitcoin. With Donald Trump’s return to the political spotlight, some wonder—could a future administration attempt a modern version of the Gold Confiscation Order, this time targeting crypto?
What Roosevelt Did with Gold in 1933
On April 5, 1933, FDR issued Executive Order 6102, which required all Americans to hand over their gold coins, bullion, and certificates to the Federal Reserve. Why? The U.S. was in the depths of the Great Depression. Roosevelt and his advisors believed that by removing gold from private hands and inflating the money supply, they could spur economic recovery.
Here’s the gist:
- Americans had to turn in their gold by May 1, 1933.
- They were compensated at $20.67 per ounce.
- After the gold was centralized, the U.S. government revalued it to $35/oz, effectively devaluing the dollar and giving the government more purchasing power.
It was, in essence, a stealthy wealth transfer and monetary reset. While framed as a patriotic duty, noncompliance was punishable by hefty fines and even jail time.
Fast Forward: Bitcoin in the Crosshairs?
Bitcoin, often dubbed “digital gold,” was built in response to the very kind of monetary manipulation Roosevelt embodied. It’s decentralized, scarce, and hard to seize. But could a government try?
With Donald Trump courting the crypto crowd in 2024–2025 and talking big about “protecting Bitcoin,” it’s easy to forget that any administration—Trump’s or otherwise—might flip the script if it sees Bitcoin as a threat to dollar dominance or monetary control.
A few parallels worth considering:
- Monetary control: Just as gold was seen as an obstacle to inflationary policy, Bitcoin could be viewed as a way for citizens to “opt out” of fiat systems.
- National emergency pretext: In 1933, the Depression created justification for extreme measures. A future crisis—say a banking panic, sovereign debt crisis, or currency collapse—could set the stage for similar action.
- Executive authority: Roosevelt didn’t go through Congress. He used the Trading with the Enemy Act. Similar legal levers could theoretically be pulled again.
Why It’s Not So Simple This Time
But here’s the twist: Bitcoin isn’t gold.
- Self-custody: Bitcoin can be held in a digital wallet that no one even knows exists, unlike gold in a safe deposit box.
- Borderless: You can memorize a 12-word seed phrase and carry millions across a border.
- Public resistance: In 1933, many Americans complied. Today’s Bitcoiners? They’re a defiant bunch.
Plus, any attempt at “confiscation” would likely send the price of BTC skyrocketing and trigger global backlash—not to mention technical and legal headaches.
Could a Government Still Try?
Absolutely. Even if confiscation isn’t feasible, regulation is. The playbook might include:
- Forcing exchanges to report and restrict certain transactions.
- Imposing windfall taxes on BTC gains.
- Banning self-custody wallets under the guise of national security or anti-terrorism.
These wouldn’t be confiscation per se, but they’d chill adoption and push Bitcoin underground.
What This Means for Us
Roosevelt’s 1933 gold move was bold, controversial, and effective—in the short term. But it ultimately sparked distrust in fiat and helped lead to Nixon fully severing the dollar from gold in 1971.
Now we live in a world of unbacked currency, and Bitcoin is its response.
If history rhymes, the next verse may not be outright seizure—but instead, pressure, coercion, and regulation aimed at regaining control. The best defense? Education, decentralization, and keeping a healthy skepticism of government promises.
So, one may want to consider the following:
- Keep Bitcoin (and any other crypto) in a self-custody wallet
- Consider using a cold wallet
- If you’re a little more techy, run your own Bitcoin node (it’s easier than you might think)
- Keep up with current crypto related news and legislation
We’re not in 1933 anymore. But the playbook? It’s still on the shelf.
by Patrix | Jun 7, 2025
Imagine if Bitcoin and ChatGPT had a lovechild raised by a swarm of AI researchers. That’s Bittensor. It’s not just another blockchain project or a crypto token with a cute mascot. It’s a radically different approach to AI development—open, decentralized, and incentivized.
What Is Bittensor?
Bittensor is a decentralized network designed to train and reward artificial intelligence models using blockchain economics. Instead of AI being locked inside giant corporate vaults (looking at you, OpenAI and Google), Bittensor spreads the task across a peer-to-peer network where contributors are compensated in TAO, the native token.
It’s kind of like if SETI@home, Bitcoin mining, and Hugging Face all moved into the same hacker house. Everyone contributes compute power or AI models—and gets paid if their work is valuable.
How It Works (Without Melting Your Brain)
The Bittensor network is structured around “subnets,” each designed for a specific kind of AI task—language models, image generation, or other cognitive workloads. Developers build and run machine learning models on these subnets.
Here’s the clever bit: these models are evaluated by the network based on how useful they are. If your AI model gives smart answers or creative outputs, the network rewards you with TAO. Think of it like merit-based mining, where the best minds (and models) win.
What You Can Do With It
If you’re technically inclined, you can:
- Run a miner (basically provide compute resources to help evaluate models).
- Train or deploy your own model and join a subnet.
- Earn TAO by making useful AI contributions to the network.
And if you’re less technical, you can still:
- Buy and hold TAO, betting on the future of open-source AI.
- Support the decentralization of AI infrastructure (no PhD required).
Why It Matters
Bittensor offers a counter-narrative to the current AI gold rush. Instead of locking innovation inside the skyscrapers of Silicon Valley, it invites the world to participate—and to be compensated fairly for it. It aligns economic incentives with AI development in a way that’s permissionless, open-source, and transparent.
It’s also part of a broader trend: the decentralization of intelligence. Just like Bitcoin separated money from the state, Bittensor aims to separate AI from corporate control. That could have profound implications for who owns the future—and who gets to shape it.
Bittensor is still in it’s early phase. There are kinks to iron out, the tech is non-trivial, and it won’t make you rich overnight. But for those who believe that intelligence—like money—should be free, distributed, and fairly rewarded, it might just be one of the most important projects in crypto today. You can check out their cool website here: Bittensor.com
And, in case you’re wondering, this blog post was not written by a Bittensor subnet. Yet.
by Patrix | May 26, 2025
Bitcoin is a little like jazz or abstract art — it’s endlessly debated, often deeply misunderstood, and occasionally polarizing. While early adopters champion it as the future of money, critics are quick to call it speculative, dangerous, or downright wasteful. I have friends and family members that often challenge my belief that Bitcoin is a better way. I’ve noticed over the years that there are some common and often repeated criticisms. So, I thought I’d do my best to address the most often heard assertions, one-by-one, and offer my response. So, let’s walk through 10 of the most common criticisms of Bitcoin and take a look at the counterarguments. Whether you’re a curious newcomer or a crypto skeptic, consider these ideas.
1. “Bitcoin uses too much energy.”
The Criticism: Bitcoin’s mining process (proof of work) consumes as much energy as some small countries, raising concerns about its environmental impact.
The Response: Yes, Bitcoin is energy-intensive — by design. It’s what secures the network and prevents fraud. However, energy use isn’t the same as energy waste. A few points to consider:
- Much of Bitcoin mining gravitates to where energy is cheap and abundant — often stranded or renewable sources like hydropower in Sichuan or geothermal in Iceland.
- According to the Bitcoin Mining Council, over 50% of mining energy comes from sustainable sources.
- Traditional banking and gold mining consume significant energy too — they’re just more opaque.
Still, it’s a valid concern. Many in the Bitcoin community support innovations like Layer 2 solutions (e.g., the Lightning Network) to reduce base-layer transactions and minimize energy use over time.
2. “Bitcoin is too volatile to be a real currency.”
The Criticism: Prices swing wildly. One month it’s up 40%, the next it crashes. How can anyone use that to buy a sandwich?
The Response: Absolutely — Bitcoin’s price is volatile. But it’s not the only asset that behaved this way early on. Amazon stock, for example, lost over 90% of its value in the dot-com bust before becoming a trillion-dollar company. Volatility reflects Bitcoin’s youth, thin liquidity, and its dual identity as both store of value and emerging tech investment. Over time, with wider adoption and more infrastructure (ETFs, payment rails, etc.), volatility has decreased. In hyperinflationary countries like Argentina or Venezuela, Bitcoin’s volatility is actually less than their fiat alternatives.
3. “Bitcoin is used by criminals.”
The Criticism: It’s anonymous, untraceable, and the preferred currency of hackers and drug dealers.
The Response: It’s a classic association, but not entirely accurate.
- Bitcoin is pseudonymous, not anonymous. Every transaction is recorded on a public blockchain — forever. Law enforcement increasingly uses forensic tools (like Chainalysis) to track illicit activity.
- Illicit use of Bitcoin has dropped dramatically. A 2022 report from Chainalysis found that only 0.24% of crypto transactions were associated with criminal activity.
- U.S. dollars are still the currency of choice for criminals, globally.
In short, yes, Bitcoin has been used for illegal things — like every technology from the internet to envelopes. That doesn’t invalidate its legitimate use cases.
4. “Bitcoin doesn’t scale.”
The Criticism: Bitcoin can only handle ~7 transactions per second (TPS). Visa does thousands.
The Response: Correct — Bitcoin’s base layer prioritizes security and decentralization over speed. But that’s where Layer 2 comes in.
- The Lightning Network, a Layer 2 protocol, enables millions of TPS at near-zero fees. It’s already being used in places like El Salvador for everyday transactions.
- Think of Bitcoin’s base layer like a digital gold vault, and Lightning like your debit card. Not every coffee purchase needs to be on the blockchain.
Scaling is being solved — just not in the same way as traditional systems.
5. “Bitcoin is too complicated for the average person.”
The Criticism: Wallets, keys, seed phrases — it’s too technical and intimidating for mainstream use.
The Response: Early internet adoption faced the same hurdle — remember typing http:// into Netscape? (Hmm… maybe some of you are too young to even remember Netscape in the 1990s.) The point is, today, we swipe and tap to navigate the web. Bitcoin is only about 16 years old, and its UX has come a long way:
- Apps like Strike, Cash App, and Phoenix offer intuitive interfaces.
- Custodial solutions exist for those who don’t want to manage private keys (though they come with trade-offs).
- Education is spreading. Just like learning to use email once felt hard, so too will Bitcoin literacy evolve.
Mainstream adoption is a design challenge, not a death sentence.
6. “Bitcoin has no intrinsic value.”
The Criticism: You can’t touch it, eat it, or wear it. It’s just numbers on a screen.
The Response: This criticism misunderstands the idea of value.
- The U.S. dollar has no intrinsic value either — it’s backed by trust, not gold.
- Bitcoin’s value comes from scarcity (only 21 million), decentralization, security, and utility as an uncensorable money.
- Its open, borderless nature gives it unique properties compared to any traditional asset or currency.
Value is subjective. People assign value to things that solve real problems. Bitcoin does exactly that for many around the world.
7. “Bitcoin is controlled by a few big players (whales).”
The Criticism: Early adopters hold most of the coins, creating inequality and potential for market manipulation.
The Response: It’s true that some large wallets hold significant amounts of Bitcoin. But:
- Many “whale” addresses belong to exchanges, holding Bitcoin on behalf of millions of users.
- On-chain data shows that Bitcoin’s distribution is gradually becoming more decentralized.
- Unlike fiat systems, Bitcoin’s ledger is transparent. You can literally verify who holds what.
Inequality isn’t unique to Bitcoin — it reflects broader socioeconomic systems. But at least in Bitcoin, everyone plays by the same open rules.
8. “Governments will ban it.”
The Criticism: Bitcoin threatens central banks and sovereign control. Eventually, governments will outlaw it.
The Response: Some have tried (China), but Bitcoin has proven remarkably resilient.
- In liberal democracies, banning Bitcoin is legally and technically difficult.
- In the U.S., Bitcoin is increasingly embraced — by senators, mayors, and even Wall Street firms like BlackRock and Fidelity.
- Countries like El Salvador have made Bitcoin legal tender.
Like the internet, governments may regulate Bitcoin — but outright bans tend to backfire, push innovation elsewhere, or simply don’t work.
9. “Bitcoin isn’t backed by anything.”
The Criticism: It’s not tied to gold, oil, or any real-world asset.
The Response: Neither is the dollar. Nor are most national currencies since Nixon closed the gold window in 1971. Bitcoin is backed by:
- Mathematics and cryptography
- A decentralized network of miners and nodes
- The belief and trust of millions globally
It’s a new kind of money — one where the guarantee is code, not governments.
10. “Bitcoin is just a bubble.”
The Criticism: It’s another tulip mania. Eventually, the hype will die and people will be left holding the bag.
The Response: Bitcoin has gone through multiple bubbles and crashes — and each time, it comes back stronger.
- 2011: from $1 to $31, then crashed to $2
- 2013: from $13 to $1,000, then down to $666
- 2017: from $1,044 to $17,600, then down to $7,700 by early 2018
- 2021: from $34,000 to %63,000, then down again to $30,000 …
But in the long arc, adoption keeps growing: more wallets, more infrastructure, more recognition. Bubbles are part of how new technologies find fair value. If anything, Bitcoin is behaving like every major disruptive innovation before it.
Bitcoin is not perfect, nothing truly innovative ever is.
Criticisms are vital — they help sharpen the tools and improve the system. Whether Bitcoin becomes a global reserve asset or simply a niche store of value, understanding it deeply requires more than memes and careless headlines. If you’re skeptical, stay curious. If you’re a believer, stay humble. And if you’re somewhere in the middle — welcome. That’s where the most interesting conversations happen.
