Machine Money: Why AI Agents Can't Use Our Cash — and What They Might Use Instead

Crypto investor Arthur Hayes argues that drowning sovereign debt guarantees slow currency debasement, while autonomous AI agents — with no social security number and no way to pass a bank's identity checks — will be forced into machine-native money. Daniel and Emily stress-test the thesis from the trillion-dollar math down to what an ordinary saver should actually do about it. ## Hosts ### Daniel Altman Daniel Altman is a computer scientist and AI strategist with a background in engineering, quantitative research, and emerging technologies. He studies how technological breakthroughs reshape industries, markets, work, and human capabilities. ### Emily Carter Emily Carter is a business strategist and former technology product leader with experience building digital products and studying how innovation reaches millions of users. She focuses on AI adoption, business transformation, work, education, entrepreneurship, and leadership. ## Sources - https://cryptohayes.substack.com/p/maelstrom-ai-macro ## Episode Information Language: en Published: 2026-09-13T09:02:30.292188+00:00