AI: Building the Cage for Your Enslavement — Bizarro World 378

Artificial intelligence could eliminate corruption, automate the economy and usher in an age of abundance. Or it could destroy most jobs, make citizens dependent on government income and provide the surveillance infrastructure needed to control their every move.

Nick was out this week, so Gerardo Del Real was joined by Digest Publishing’s resident crypto expert, Chris Curl.

They begin with Bitcoin, which Chris believes is either entering a new bull market or getting very close. After correctly exiting the crypto portfolio ahead of the bear market, Chris spent months in cash waiting for the next cycle to begin. Bitcoin finally dipped below $58,000 before exploding toward $80,000 in what Chris describes as the largest short squeeze in its history.

Now $83,000 is the line in the sand. A decisive break above that resistance would confirm the bullish turn, although Bitcoin could still retrace toward $72,000—or briefly revisit the $52,000–$58,000 range—before beginning its next major advance.

The catalyst is bigger than crypto. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is attempting to suppress long-term interest rates while bond investors demand greater compensation for financing nearly $40 trillion in government debt. Those interventions revived the currency-debasement trade, pushing investors toward Bitcoin, gold and other scarce assets.

Gerardo remains bullish across the metals complex. He expects gold to finish the year above $5,000, silver to run toward $80–$85 if it clears $73, and copper to approach $7 per pound. He also sees continued strength in uranium and a resumption of lithium’s bull market closer to year-end.

Then the conversation turns to artificial intelligence—and gets truly bizarro.

Chris argues that a properly designed AI system could potentially administer laws, government and finance more impartially than human institutions. An AI judge cannot be bribed, blackmailed, seduced or rewarded with political contributions.

But who writes the code? Who controls the system? And can those people be trusted?

The same AI infrastructure could eliminate as much as 80% of existing employment when combined with humanoid robotics. “Universal high income” may promise a comfortable life without work, but it would also make millions of people completely dependent on the state. A future government could easily make that income conditional on obedience.

Meanwhile, massive data centers are spreading across the country, often forcing ordinary households to subsidize the infrastructure and electricity consumed by the world’s richest technology companies. Communities are beginning to push back — but Chris believes many people see the state backing corporations to build “the very cage of their enslavement.”

Flock surveillance cameras provide an early warning. Gerardo describes a Kentucky police officer who allegedly conducted 2,048 searches to track the mother of his child without a warrant. Other communities are canceling contracts and removing the cameras after discovering how easily the technology can be abused.