Most advanced AI models in simulations favored Bitcoin over traditional currencies, according to a report by the Bitcoin Policy Institute. Out of 36 tested models, 22 ranked Bitcoin as their top choice, while none selected fiat currency as their primary monetary instrument. The authors note that “monetary preferences” of autonomous agents have long been discussed mostly as speculation.

Researchers tested models from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, DeepSeek, xAI, and MiniMax, placing them into scenarios reflecting core functions of money such as saving, payments, and settlement. Each model was treated as an independent economic actor and allowed to choose instruments without a predefined list. A separate system then categorized the responses to reduce the risk of nudging toward a particular option.

The experiment produced 9,072 responses and showed a division of roles: in long-term store-of-value tasks, models leaned toward Bitcoin more often. However, in exchange and settlement scenarios, stablecoins were chosen noticeably more frequently. In other words, models tended to “save” in BTC but “pay” with stablecoins when convenience and settlement mattered.

Preferences also differed by developer: Anthropic models showed the highest average Bitcoin selection, followed by DeepSeek and Google, while xAI, MiniMax, and OpenAI ranked lower. The report stresses these choices reflect training-data patterns and are not a prediction of crypto markets. Still, the authors say the broad consistency across labs looks robust and worth attention.