[DigitalToday reporter Yoonseo Lee] As the possibility of mass unemployment driven by artificial intelligence (AI) grows, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (창펑 자오), known as CZ, has presented cryptocurrency as a long-term alternative. He argued that AI will reduce jobs, but cryptocurrency will make life without wages possible. He said holding cryptocurrency for the long term, rather than relying on traditional labour, could be a better financial safety measure.

On Jan. 23, blockchain media outlet The Crypto Basic highlighted his optimistic outlook.

The claim aligns with recent warnings at the Davos World Economic Forum (WEF) by executives including JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon and Deloitte CEO Joe Ucuzoglu about job losses caused by AI. AI is accelerating automation across industries including customer service and finance, and JPMorgan has also suggested the possibility of job cuts within the next 5 years as it broadly adopts AI.

Zhao stressed that cryptocurrency would be a means to accumulate wealth amid these changes. He said, "If you buy and hold cryptocurrency, early retirement is possible," and expressed expectations for long-term value gains. That is in line with Strategy chairman Michael Saylor presenting 21 ways to build intergenerational wealth through bitcoin.

But given the volatility of the cryptocurrency market, some view Zhao's claim skeptically. Major cryptocurrencies such as Dogecoin (DOGE), Cardano (ADA) and Shiba Inu (SHIB) remain down more than 80 percent from their 2021 highs. Critics also argue that, rather than replacing traditional jobs, cryptocurrency could trigger greater economic instability because of its volatility.

Even so, alongside the arrival of the AI era, efforts to redefine cryptocurrency not as a speculative tool but as a "digital asset" are continuing. As its entry into the mainstream accelerates, including approvals of spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), cryptocurrency is drawing attention as an alternative store of value that can hedge instability in the traditional financial system. An analysis says Zhao's remarks also need to be interpreted from a macro perspective that calls for diversifying asset portfolios to prepare for a future in which labour income is threatened, rather than pursuing short-term price gains.

In conclusion, the tectonic shift in the labour market that AI could bring and the new wealth equation proposed by cryptocurrency represent an ongoing future. It remains uncertain whether cryptocurrency will become a perfect safety net to cover fears of unemployment, or another economic risk. Still, it seems clear that as technological progress accelerates, individuals' financial survival strategies must move away from past methods and change in more flexible and multi-layered ways.

AI will make you jobless. Crypto will make you not need a job. Buy and hold now, retire in a few years. If crypto allowed you to retire already. (Not financial advice)