Raoul Pal says AI and crypto are reshaping the global economy faster than most think

News Analysis Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Raoul Pal says AI and crypto are reshaping the global economy faster than most think The Real Vision founder said that humanity is entering an “exponential age” where AI, crypto and tokenization could rewrite finance, labor and culture. By AI Boost | Edited by Sam Ewen May 20, 2026, 2:13 p.m. 2 min read Make preferred on Why this matters: Pal argued that AI and blockchain are converging into a new infrastructure layer for the global economy. Pal said humanity is approaching a moment where AI systems become “apex intelligence,” fundamentally changing labor, finance and daily life. He described crypto as the ownership layer for that future economy, allowing individuals to “front-run Wall Street” by owning blockchain infrastructure before institutions fully arrive. “We can own the infrastructure layer for the first time in history,” Pal said during the interview. The big picture: Pal framed the current moment as a historic acceleration point for technology adoption. He said AI adoption is moving faster than the internet era and compared it to “Metcalfe’s law squared,” referencing network effects. Pal pointed to AI-generated content growth as evidence of the shift, citing data showing AI now produces more words annually than humans. “Since COVID, we’ve hyperaccelerated everything,” Pal said. He also highlighted rapid adoption of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs as another example of exponential technological change. What this means for crypto: Pal said institutional adoption does not undermine crypto’s original mission. He argued tokenization and blockchain rails expand access to financial markets for people globally who were previously excluded. “Everybody’s on the same equal footing,” Pal said, referencing the ability for users worldwide to access crypto assets. Pal said tokenized equities could allow investors in countries like Nigeria to access assets previously unavailable to them. He described stablecoins, tokenization and blockchain-based finance as “a better system for everybody.” Reading between the lines: Pal sees crypto speculation as a feature, not a bug. He argued meme coins and NFTs served as stress tests for broader technological ideas. “Crypto’s hilarious because we hyper-speculate everything as the way of testing it,” Pal said. Pal said meme coins demonstrated how online attention can rapidly form capital. He also predicted NFTs eventually become foundational digital contracts underpinning parts of the future economy. On AI: Pal described AI as both a productivity accelerator and a societal disruption. He said he already uses AI tools like Claude, ChatGPT and Grok daily as “thought partners” for research, writing and idea generation. Pal said AI has reduced tasks that once took days into workflows lasting only hours. He warned that AI could threaten parts of the labor market but argued human creativity, community and experiences will become more valuable. “The currency of humans is attention,” Pal said. Worth watching: Pal predicted crypto markets and AI-driven systems continue converging over the next decade. He forecast the crypto market could eventually grow from roughly $2.7 trillion today to $100 trillion within a decade. Pal argued that wealth creation from crypto will increasingly flow into digital culture, including NFT-based art. He cited digital artist XCOPY as an example of crypto-native culture gaining value alongside traditional art markets. Asked what could derail crypto adoption, Pal replied: “Nothing stops this train.” AI Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards . For more information, see CoinDesk's full AI Policy . 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