Cathie Wood sees bitcoin hedge role growing as AI sparks deflationary chaos

Speaking at a major industry event in New York, Cathie Wood argued that a fast-approaching wave of technology-driven deflation will make a bitcoin hedge more important for investors and institutions.

Cathie Wood warns of deflationary chaos from exponential tech

At Bitcoin Investor Week in New York, Cathie Wood, CEO of ARK Invest, said that artificial intelligence and other exponential technologies will unleash a powerful productivity shock. According to Wood, this shift will drive prices lower across the economy and destabilize legacy financial structures that are built on steady inflation assumptions.

In a discussion with Anthony Pompliano, she described a looming period of “deflationary chaos”, fueled by rapid adoption of AI, robotics and other innovation platforms. However, she stressed that this is not the deflation of collapsing demand, but of breakthrough technologies slashing costs and boosting output.

“If these technologies are so deflationary, it is going to be tough for the traditional world, which is used to 2% to 3% inflation, to adjust,” Wood said. Moreover, she argued that incumbent players will be forced to embrace these tools much faster than they currently expect in order to survive.

AI cost collapse and the misreading by the Federal Reserve

Wood pointed to internal research showing that AI training costs are falling by roughly 75% per year, while inference costs, meaning the cost of generating individual AI outputs, are dropping by as much as 98% annually. As a result, companies can become dramatically more productive with fewer inputs, which tends to push overall prices down.

That said, she believes the Federal Reserve is misinterpreting this innovation-led deflation because it relies too heavily on backward-looking data. In her view, policymakers risk reacting to old signals while the underlying structure of the economy is being transformed by exponential technologies.

“They could miss this and be forced into a response when there is more carnage out there,” Wood warned, suggesting that central banks might tighten or ease policy at the wrong moments. This misalignment could amplify stress in traditional financial markets that are still priced for modest positive inflation.

Bitcoin as hedge in an innovation-driven deflation regime

Within this framework, Wood argued that bitcoin becomes attractive as a portfolio tool in both inflationary and deflationary environments. She reiterated her long-standing thesis that the asset can function as protection not just against currency debasement, but also against instability created by disruptive technological change.

“Bitcoin is a hedge against inflation and deflation,” she said. Moreover, she linked recent underperformance in software-as-a-service stocks and growing counterparty risks in areas like private equity and private credit to the early stages of this disruption cycle, where legacy models are already feeling pressure.

According to Wood, the coming period of innovation-led deflation will expose fragilities in debt-heavy balance sheets and complex financial intermediation chains. In that context, investors seeking resilience may increasingly look to a trustless, non-sovereign asset that does not depend on central counterparties.

A trustless alternative to legacy finance

Wood emphasized that bitcoin’s decentralized design and fixed supply distinguish it from the traditional financial system, which is often reliant on leverage, central clearinghouses and opaque credit exposures. In her view, as margins compress in a deflationary environment, these legacy structures could come under renewed strain.

“The chaotic part of this is disruption all over the place,” she said, referencing both public market sectors and private credit markets where counterparty risks may be rising. However, she added that bitcoin does not share those same vulnerabilities, since it settles on-chain without requiring trust in a single institution.

Wood also highlighted the simplicity of bitcoin’s core protocol compared with the layering seen in modern finance. As deflation undermines debt-based growth models, she believes that a transparent, rules-based monetary network may look more compelling to asset allocators around the world.

From the dot-com bubble to real exponential technologies

Placing the current moment in historical context, Wood argued that the environment today is the “opposite of the tech and telecom bubble” of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Back then, she said, investors poured capital into unproven technologies that were not ready for large-scale deployment.

Now, by contrast, she contends that core technologies such as AI, robotics, and blockchain are mature enough to drive real-world productivity gains across industries. That said, markets have yet to fully appreciate how profoundly these platforms will reshape cost structures, business models and macroeconomic dynamics.

Wood suggested that investors who underestimate this transition may be mispricing both risk and opportunity. In particular, she believes that innovation-focused assets could benefit as the investment narrative shifts away from pure inflation fears toward an emphasis on productivity-driven deflation.

ARK’s long-term crypto and innovation positioning

Wood noted that ARK’s portfolios have been constructed for years around the convergence of disruptive technologies, including public blockchains. The firm is among the largest institutional holders of Coinbase and Robinhood, alongside a range of other crypto and fintech names that are exposed to digital assets adoption.

While market volatility has remained elevated through 2024, she maintained that bitcoin and broader innovation themes are positioned to gain as the macro narrative evolves. However, she acknowledged that the transition period could be turbulent, with both traditional financials and some technology companies facing significant valuation resets.

Wood insisted that her thesis is anchored in data on cost declines, network effects and adoption curves across multiple innovation platforms. For investors, she argued, the key is to recognize how these forces intersect with monetary policy, debt dynamics and structural deflation trends.

Deflation, disruption and the role of bitcoin

Looking ahead, Wood said that exponential technologies are likely to keep accelerating, deepening the deflationary impulse they inject into the global economy. In that environment, she believes that a clearly defined bitcoin hedge within diversified portfolios could help manage shocks stemming from both inflation surprises and rapid price compression.

Moreover, she framed bitcoin’s fixed supply and open architecture as counters to the fragility she sees in debt-based financial systems that are vulnerable to productivity shocks. As central banks and institutions adapt to this new regime, she expects renewed debates around the role of non-sovereign digital assets in global portfolios.

“Truth will win out,” Wood concluded, expressing confidence that data on cost declines, productivity and network adoption will ultimately validate her firm’s positioning. In her view, investors who align with the right side of technological change will be better prepared for the deflationary chaos she expects AI and innovation to unleash.

In summary, Wood’s message in New York linked AI-driven deflation, fragile traditional finance and bitcoin’s trustless design into a single macro thesis, arguing that the digital asset stands to benefit as innovation reshapes both prices and portfolios.