Bitcoin mining firm Hut 8 co-founder and cryptocurrency entrepreneur Marc van der Chijs has issued a stark warning that artificial intelligence development could spiral out of control, potentially delivering a systemic shock to the banking sector and vital infrastructure.

Van der Chijs revealed he has offloaded a significant portion of his Bitcoin holdings to pivot into AI investments, and is now rotating some of those profits back into cryptocurrency. In a recent interview, he stated he still believes AI will transform the economy, but he is increasingly doubtful that humanity can maintain oversight of its trajectory.

"We have actually lost control," he emphasized. "Before we regain it, I fear we are moving too fast." He compared his current assessment of AI's potential to his mindset when he first entered the Bitcoin market back in 2013.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has voiced similar concerns, urging technology leaders to decelerate the pace of frontier AI development. Amodei cautioned that rapid progress driven by recursive self-improvement of AI models could surpass human control and inflict widespread damage on infrastructure.

Both figures argue that intense competition among corporations and nations creates a structural trap, where individual restraint is penalized. They contend that systemic disruption or catastrophic failure is almost unavoidable until genuine international regulatory safeguards are established.

Van der Chijs fears it may take a major incident affecting the financial system or critical infrastructure to compel governments to cooperate. He believes AI could expose vulnerabilities in legacy banking software, eroding confidence in institutions that rely on interconnected systems.

Within the crypto space, he notes that exchanges and other businesses built around Bitcoin are more susceptible to disruption than the underlying Bitcoin network itself. Despite these worries, he has not dismissed AI's economic potential.

He projects that AI and robotics could eventually assume 90% to 95% of existing jobs while dramatically driving down the cost of goods and services. In such a scenario, governments would need fresh revenue streams as employment structures shift. He suggests taxing robot or AI usage, though he concedes that locally run models would complicate enforcement.

"I sold a lot of Bitcoin. I moved into AI," van der Chijs said. He believes investor capital shifting toward AI is one reason Bitcoin's price has not reached the $200,000 to $250,000 levels he and others once anticipated. He is currently redirecting some AI investment gains back into crypto through exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

He also argues that AI infrastructure presents a stronger business case than Bitcoin mining. Speaking in a personal capacity, he called Hut 8's pivot to AI "the best move ever," adding that if he were running the company today, he would lean toward dedicating all resources to AI data centers.

Van der Chijs's enthusiasm for AI does not mean he finds every AI investment attractive at current valuations. He predicts that over the next five years, Tesla and SpaceX could outperform Anthropic, even though he expects the leading AI developer to eventually become the world's largest company.

Bitcoin, however, holds a distinct place in his portfolio philosophy. If forced to hold only one asset for the rest of his life, he would choose Bitcoin. "Of all the assets you can hold, if you could only pick one, it would be Bitcoin," he said.