Right-Wing Cryptocurrency and Left-Wing Artificial Intelligence: Reflections Behind Vance's Speech
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Right-Wing Cryptocurrency and Left-Wing Artificial Intelligence: Reflections Behind Vance's Speech
At the Bitcoin conference, Vance proposed the "crypto right-wing theory" and the "AI left-wing theory."
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsAuthor: Dao Says Blockchain
I've never been particularly interested in this conference filled with politicians and businessmen, because I could easily guess what they'd say.
But Vance's speech at the conference truly impressed me.
TechFlow published the full translation of this speech. Within it, three ideas stood out to me—fresh perspectives that strongly resonated:
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"Cryptocurrency is essentially a conservative or right-wing technology; artificial intelligence is essentially a leftist or centralized technology."
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"Many brilliant right-leaning technologists are drawn to Bitcoin, while many brilliant left-leaning technologists dedicate themselves to AI."
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"I don’t want AI development to negatively impact U.S. national interests. The best way to ensure smart, visionary people are part of the AI conversation is to include the Bitcoin community in that dialogue."
Right-Wing and Left-Wing
Before sharing my views, let me briefly explain the traditional Western definitions of right-wing and left-wing.
In broad terms:
The right advocates for limited government, values individual effort, promotes free-market economics, and remains deeply wary of centralization, control, and intervention. The right is also known as conservatives.
The left advocates for expansive government, favors state control over society, and supports government-directed economies. The left is also known as liberals.
In modern society, purely right-wing or left-wing ideologies no longer exist—it's more about being slightly more right- or left-leaning.
Vance’s observation—that Bitcoin attracts right-wingers while AI attracts left-wingers—immediately reminded me of some archetypal figures within each ecosystem.
Wei Dai, one of Bitcoin's pioneers, witnessed his grandfather’s tragic experience during China’s Cultural Revolution, which planted a seed in him: the desire to use technology to create a society where individuals are protected from abuse of power.
Satoshi Nakamoto meticulously concealed all online traces, leaving no footprint behind.
Observations on the Values of the Crypto Ecosystem
Over the years interacting with friends involved in the crypto space, I’ve noticed an interesting pattern: once conversations go deep enough, I can often predict someone’s political leanings—and consequently, their true attitude toward Bitcoin. And when I dig further into their actual Bitcoin behavior, I almost always find a common trait:
Participants with strong right-wing inclinations invariably hold onto a portion of Bitcoin—no exceptions. While they may trade actively, there’s always a core amount they refuse to sell. When asked about this "never-sell" portion, they speak with emotional intensity, calling it “paying tribute to Satoshi.”
Therefore, I firmly believe that investing in the crypto ecosystem without underlying ideological conviction is unlikely to yield substantial returns. I can't believe CZ sold his house to buy Bitcoin purely for business reasons—there must have been some value-driven faith fueling that decision.
Artificial Intelligence and Cryptographic Technology
My impression of AI participants is largely shaped by Sam Altman. His close alignment with the U.S. government, and projects like requiring iris scans in exchange for tokens, vividly reflect his reverence for power and hunger for control.
Another figure in tech just like Altman is Mark Zuckerberg.
The vast majority of articles and media outlets that enthusiastically praise AI remain immersed in the joy brought by its rapid improvements in efficiency and user experience, rarely expressing concern over what might happen if such technology falls into the hands of tyrants.
Conversely, most articles and media outlets dismissive of cryptographic technology focus solely on criticizing inefficiency and high fees, completely failing to grasp the profound significance of crypto in enabling financial freedom and liberation from centralized control.
Out of curiosity, I once looked up other writings by authors of such articles and almost universally found deep-seated beliefs in elite rule over the masses and a disturbing pleasure in submission to authority.
Only within the crypto ecosystem have I seen explorers like Vitalik constantly striving to identify ways to decentralize further, and seeking improvements that allow Ethereum to survive even under attacks from sovereign-level powers.
About two years ago, I wrote in an article about attending a roadshow in Hong Kong, where I saw a foreign team propose using decentralized datasets to train AI models. Despite numerous flaws and apparent immaturity, this kind of thinking and perspective is something I mostly encounter only in the crypto world.
Certainly, leading tech figures pushing AI also pay attention to crypto. Altman launched Worldcoin and Layer 2 solutions; Zuckerberg is quietly reviving his stablecoin project. But their core goal isn’t human freedom—it’s acquiring more users and resources to strengthen their ecosystems and extract greater value.
These two groups are fundamentally different.
Perhaps this is exactly what Vance meant when he said, “Many brilliant right-leaning technologists are drawn to Bitcoin, while many brilliant left-leaning technologists dedicate themselves to AI.”
In previous writings, I’ve shared my vision for the ideal convergence of AI and crypto: leveraging crypto’s decentralized methods to decentralize AI’s computing power and data, ensuring this revolutionary invention isn’t monopolized by any centralized entity. Only then can AI truly benefit all humanity and become a source of pride; otherwise, it risks becoming a weapon of destruction.
Vance’s expressed desire to prevent AI from harming U.S. interests and his call for the Bitcoin community to join the AI conversation align perfectly with my envisioned integration of these two technologies.
The viewpoints Vance cited strike me as the finest commentary on the values embodied by crypto and AI, and the clearest explanation of their complementary potential.
I’ve long viewed politicians as masters of empty rhetoric, but for Vance to articulate such insightful perspectives was genuinely surprising.
For someone without a technical background to understand the values behind these two cutting-edge technologies at such depth exceeds the awareness of most participants within both ecosystems.
Now I better understand why Silicon Valley’s Peter Thiel has long supported Vance, mentoring and promoting him relentlessly.
If someone like Vance were to become President of the United States, crypto and AI would accelerate at full speed on that soil.
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