Former Imran Khan, who once served as chief strategy officer at Snap Inc. and worked as an investment banker at Credit Suisse, says cryptocurrency does not form a meaningful part of his artificial intelligence investment strategy, arguing that digital assets operate under a different economic thesis than the AI-driven productivity boom.
Khan said that while some investors expect artificial intelligence and crypto to eventually converge, he continues to view them as separate investment themes.
“Crypto is a different animal,” Khan said in an interview. “When you’re investing in AI, you’re investing in productivity and economic growth.” Because of that distinction, digital assets typically do not align with the framework his firm uses, which focuses on companies positioned to benefit from major technological shifts.
Khan is the founder and chair of the investment committee at Proem Asset Management, a technology-focused investment firm overseeing roughly $450 million in assets. Before launching Proem, he helped guide Snap Inc. through its public listing as chief strategy officer. Earlier in his career, he led global internet investment banking at Credit Suisse, where he worked on major deals including the record-setting initial public offering of Alibaba Group.
Although cryptocurrency does not sit at the core of his AI thesis, Khan emphasized that he is not opposed to the asset class. His firm has previously held positions in several crypto-related companies and investment products as part of its broader exposure to the technology sector.
According to Proem’s latest regulatory filing, the firm reported stakes in Coinbase, Robinhood Markets, bitcoin mining company Iren Limited, and direct exposure to bitcoin through the iShares Bitcoin Trust. Khan noted that those positions are part of the firm’s broader technology strategy rather than its AI-focused investment thesis.
While Khan maintains that AI and crypto operate under distinct investment narratives, some investors believe the two sectors could eventually intersect. Advocates argue that both industries rely on decentralized computing networks and large-scale digital infrastructure.
Supporters of the convergence theory say blockchain systems could provide payment rails and coordination mechanisms for AI services operating across the internet without centralized ownership. A recent report from Citrini Research, which briefly rattled markets with warnings about a potential AI bubble, suggested autonomous AI agents could eventually bypass traditional payment systems by using stablecoins instead of credit cards.
Others believe blockchain-based systems could help track how AI models use data, verify outputs produced by artificial intelligence systems, or manage digital identities for autonomous software agents.
Although the overlap between AI and crypto remains largely experimental, the idea has fueled a growing wave of startups trying to link artificial intelligence development with blockchain-based networks. Meanwhile, some bitcoin mining companies have begun shifting toward the AI boom by repurposing their energy capacity and data centers to support AI computing workloads.
Even bitcoin itself could indirectly benefit from the rise of AI, according to analysts at NYDIG, a financial services and infrastructure firm. The firm suggested that if AI adoption leads to job displacement and weaker consumer demand, policymakers could respond with interest rate cuts to support the economy. Increased liquidity in such a scenario could ultimately support the price of bitcoin.
Khan’s comments come as the AI investment surge that followed the launch of ChatGPT begins to face greater scrutiny from investors.
Shares of Nvidia, the leading supplier of chips used to train AI models, and Broadcom, a major networking and custom AI chip manufacturer, have both declined about 5% so far this year, reflecting growing questions about how quickly companies will see returns from massive spending on AI infrastructure.
The Citrini Research report that triggered concerns about the sector also outlined a hypothetical scenario in which rapid AI adoption by 2028 could lead to widespread white-collar job losses and a sharp drop in consumer spending.
Khan acknowledged those concerns but noted that fears about technology eliminating jobs have accompanied nearly every major industrial transformation.
“If you read Karl Marx, he said the same thing about machines 200 years ago,” Khan said. “Now we’re experiencing an AI revolution that could be as significant as the Industrial Revolution, and people are making the same arguments.”
Historically, he added, technological progress has tended to reshape labor markets rather than eliminate jobs altogether.
“When new technology emerges,” Khan said, “it creates entirely new kinds of jobs.”
