Former Imran Khan, who previously served as strategy chief at Snap Inc. and worked as an investment banker at Credit Suisse, says cryptocurrency does not play a central role in his artificial intelligence investment strategy, arguing the digital asset sector operates on a fundamentally different investment thesis.
Khan said that despite increasing speculation that AI and crypto could eventually intersect, he largely views the two sectors as separate opportunities for investors.
“Crypto is a different animal,” Khan said in an interview. “When you’re investing in AI, you’re really investing in productivity and economic growth.” Because of that distinction, digital assets rarely fit the investment framework used by his firm, 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 that manages about $450 million in assets. Before launching Proem, he served as chief strategy officer at Snap Inc., helping guide the social media company through its public listing. Earlier in his career, he led global internet investment banking at Credit Suisse, where he worked on several major deals, including the record-breaking IPO of Alibaba Group.
Although crypto is not a core component of his AI thesis, Khan said he is not opposed to the asset class. His firm has held positions in several crypto-related companies and products as part of its broader technology investments.
According to Proem’s most recent regulatory filing, the firm held stakes in Coinbase, Robinhood Markets, bitcoin mining company Iren Limited, and direct exposure to bitcoin through the iShares Bitcoin Trust. Khan said those investments fall under the firm’s broader technology focus rather than its AI-specific strategy.
While Khan believes the two sectors remain distinct, some investors argue that artificial intelligence and blockchain could eventually converge. Supporters of that view note that both technologies rely on decentralized infrastructure and large-scale computing networks.
Advocates say blockchain systems could provide payment rails and coordination mechanisms for AI services operating across the internet without centralized control. A recent report by Citrini Research, which briefly sparked concerns about a potential AI bubble, suggested that autonomous AI agents could eventually bypass traditional payment networks by using stablecoins instead of credit cards.
Others believe blockchain technology could help track how AI systems use data, verify outputs generated by models, or manage digital identities for autonomous software agents.
Although the overlap between AI and crypto remains largely experimental, the idea has fueled a growing number of startups seeking to combine artificial intelligence development with blockchain-based networks. At the same time, some bitcoin mining companies have begun shifting toward AI infrastructure by repurposing their data centers and energy capacity for artificial intelligence computing.
Even bitcoin could indirectly benefit from AI’s expansion, 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 by cutting interest rates to support economic activity—potentially adding liquidity that has historically supported bitcoin prices.
Khan’s remarks come as enthusiasm surrounding AI investments, which surged following the release of ChatGPT, is beginning to face more scrutiny from investors.
Shares of Nvidia, the dominant supplier of chips used to train AI models, and Broadcom, a major networking and custom AI chip manufacturer, are both down roughly 5% so far this year. The declines reflect growing questions about how quickly companies will see returns on the massive investments being made in AI infrastructure.
The Citrini Research report that sparked concerns also outlined a hypothetical scenario for 2028 in which rapid AI adoption leads to widespread white-collar job losses and a sharp decline in consumer spending.
Khan acknowledged those concerns but noted that fears about job displacement have accompanied nearly every major technological breakthrough.
“If you read Karl Marx, he said the same thing about machines 200 years ago,” Khan said. “Now we’re going through an AI revolution that could be as significant as the Industrial Revolution, and people are making the same arguments.”
Historically, Khan added, new technologies have tended to reshape labor markets rather than eliminate work altogether.
“When new technology emerges,” he said, “it creates entirely new kinds of jobs.”
