Expert Predicts Bitcoin to Reach $11 Million Due to AI Deflation
March 4, 2026
Strive’s Joe Burnett has painted a picture of a future where Bitcoin could soar to unprecedented heights, reaching an eye-popping $11 million by the first quarter of 2036. This bold forecast is underpinned by the notion of AI-driven “technological deflation” exerting significant pressure on central banks to continue expanding the money supply.
Burnett’s model envisions a scenario where Bitcoin captures around 12% of global financial assets with global wealth growing at a 7% annual rate until 2036. Presently constituting a mere 0.2% of overall financial assets, this projection posits a staggering 176-fold surge in market capitalization, reaching a colossal $230 trillion.
Notably, Coin Bureau co-founder Nic Puckrin concurred with this assessment, highlighting the implications of this forecast. He outlined that Bitcoin would potentially surpass the current US M2 money supply by a factor of ten, dwarfing the US equity market’s size by nearly four times, and exceeding the current global GDP almost twofold. Puckrin emphasized that sustaining this trajectory would necessitate an annual compound growth rate of approximately 53%.
Central to Burnett’s thesis is the concept of an “AI deflation engine” generating continuous deflationary forces through automation and cost efficiencies. He cautioned that within a debt-based fiat system, deflation could strain credit markets due to fixed nominal liabilities. As AI catalyzes deflation within the real economy, he contended that central banks and fiscal authorities would have no choice but to expand liquidity to avert the risks of a deflationary spiral.
Furthermore, the report highlighted the emergence of “digital credit” models championed by firms like Strategy. These models entail leveraging publicly traded securities supported by substantial Bitcoin holdings to raise funds for further Bitcoin acquisitions. Burnett suggested that such financial products could establish a self-reinforcing loop between yield demand and Bitcoin accumulation.
To contextualize these projections, it is worth noting that ARK Invest previously outlined a bullish target of $1.5 million and a bearish target of $300,000 for Bitcoin by 2030. The juxtaposition of these forecasts underscores the vast range of possibilities and the significant role that factors like AI, technological innovation, and monetary policy could play in shaping Bitcoin’s trajectory in the coming years.
