This article was first published on The Bit Journal. A fictional research report imagining an AI-driven economic crisis jolted markets this week, as fears of widespread AI displacement rattled investors and sent equities into a tailspin. Meanwhile, the analysts pointed out that the buried among the dramatic story was a potentially bullish box on the low-cost blockchain networks like Solana and various Ethereum Layer 2 networks.
The 7,000 words report titled The 2028 Global Intelligence Crisis was released by Citrini Research as speculative fiction. Nevertheless, its presentation of mass AI displacement in the white-collar sectors left a chord in the already automation-vulcanized financial markets.

In the imaginary scenario of the report (2028), there is the development of sophisticated AI systems that form what authors refer to as a negative feedback loop without a natural brake. Companies cut staff as AI capabilities rise. The result of this accelerating AI displacement is a decline in consumer spending and this stresses corporate margins. In response, firms invest more in automation, thus the cycle continues.
This type of AI displacement, in contrast to the traditional recessions, the report claims, lacks a mechanism of recovery within it. In the past, economic depressions instigated a reduction in interest rates and a new wave of business growth. In the case of Citrini, though, productivity increases spurred by artificial intelligence do not create a demand since the workers that have been displaced do not have the income to continue consuming.
The authors point out that developed economies like the United States are heavily dependent on white-collar services. The white-collar employees are almost half of the total labor and make most of the discretionary expenses. The consumer-led economic model will be undermined severely in case AI displacement causes a substantial drop in such workforce.
One of the critical points of the report is the emergence of autonomous AI agents who can act independently in the name of people and companies. These agents have the opportunity to compare prices, reserve services, logistics, and negotiate contracts. When the world is dominated by AI displacement, such systems would also lead to decreased dependence on human intermediaries.
The implication is significant to payments infrastructure. The scenario indicates that as AI agents take over transactions, they are bound to aim at removing unnecessary costs. Existing conventional card network whose interchange fees are 2 to 3 percent are direct targets. The agents are instead attracted to stablecoins that are transferred on high-performance and low-cost blockchains.
According to the report, most AI-powered systems would prefer stablecoins using scalable networks like Solana or Ethereum Layer 2s, in which transactions deposit within seconds at a very low cost. To crypto investors, the narrative of AI displacement might thus become an unforeseen driver of blockchain usage, especially in machine to machine trading.
Cryptocurrency exchanges already started testing the AI payment systems. Coinbase is experimenting with features that enable autonomous agents to interact on-chain, which points to the fact that aspects of this future can already be emerging.
Another key idea presented in the study is called the ghost GDP, when the amount of value is registered in the balance sheets of hyperscale technology companies but cannot be dispersed into the mainstream consumer economy. In a world where AI has replaced through time, wealth may become even more concentrated unless new policy frameworks are created.
In the meantime, payments companies are gearing up to become structurally changed. Chargebacks911 has advised merchants that any transaction initiated by an agent will make it difficult to resolve disputes because any purchase made by AI will blur the customary consumer intent definition.
Nevertheless, regardless of the occurrence of the 2028 scenario, the report has redefined the discussion on the topic of automation, finance, and digital payments. In case the process of AI displacement is rapid as projected, the consequences will spread way beyond the workforce potentially transforming the very structure of commerce itself.
While speculative, the Citrini report highlights the ways in which AI displacement would transform labour, consumer behaviour and finance. With autonomous agents and blockchain payments becoming more popular, the narrative suggests significant structural changes with both disruption threats and investment prospects to networks such as Solana and Ethereum Layer 2s.
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AI Displacement: AI replacing human workers, reducing jobs and spending.
Ethereum Layer 2: Networks built on Ethereum for faster, cheaper transactions.
Stablecoins: Cryptocurrencies pegged to stable assets for payments.
Ghost GDP: Value on tech firms’ balance sheets not reaching consumers.
Agentic Commerce: AI-driven transactions done on behalf of humans.
Chargebacks: Payment reversals, now complicated by AI purchases.
AI replacing human workers, reducing jobs and consumer spending.
AI agents favor low-fee stablecoins on Solana and Ethereum Layer 2s.
Value on tech firms’ balance sheets not reaching consumers.
Yes, exchanges like Coinbase are experimenting with agent-based on-chain payments.
Citrini Research
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