The Milk Road Show

Bitcoin OG Explains Why Crypto Was Built for AI, Not Humans & How to Profit from It | Erik Voorhees

Nov 11, 2025
In this discussion, Erik Voorhees, a Bitcoin pioneer and founder of ShapeShift, delves into the intriguing idea that cryptocurrency was designed more for AI than humans. He explains how institutional adoption is vital for Bitcoin's future and warns about the privacy risks with major AI services like ChatGPT. Erik advocates for a permissionless AI landscape and shares insights on his venture, Venice AI, aimed at offering a private alternative. He also speculates on the potential dominance of machine agents in crypto markets.
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INSIGHT

Institutions Were Inevitable For Bitcoin

  • Bitcoin's mainstream adoption required absorbing institutions, which Voorhees saw as inevitable and necessary.
  • He thinks institutional involvement helps Bitcoin transition from hobby to dominant global money.
INSIGHT

Privacy And Decentralization Drive Venice

  • Voorhees built Venice because AI leaders lacked crypto-style values like decentralization and privacy.
  • He saw private, uncensored AI as essential to counter centralized, surveillance-prone models.
ADVICE

Avoid Services That Store Conversations Forever

  • Do not trust AI providers that store user conversations indefinitely because that data can be exploited forever.
  • Prefer services that avoid persistent storage to reduce risk from insiders, breaches, or adversarial AIs.
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