Arthur Hayes, managing partner of the crypto fund Maelstrom, has declared the artificial intelligence industry an obvious bubble and expects the reckoning to arrive within 12 to 18 months, most likely in 2027 or 2028. Hayes delivered the assessment without hedging in an interview at Korea Blockchain Week (KBW) 2026, according to COINOTAG.

At the center of his argument is the expectation that a coming downturn in the AI sector would be met with a bailout on the scale of one trillion dollars — a policy response he believes would fuel Bitcoin (BTC). The call sits within the monetary framework Hayes is known for: in his framing, a trillion-dollar rescue of a distressed sector would amount to the kind of fiat liquidity expansion that underpins his Bitcoin outlook. The figure is a forecast about policy, not an announced plan — whether such a response materializes, and at what scale, would fall to governments and central banks in the event of a downturn. The 12-to-18-month window also gives the prediction a concrete timeline that readers can track against events as it plays out.

Who Is Arthur Hayes?

Hayes is a prominent figure in the digital asset industry, best known as a co-founder of the cryptocurrency derivatives exchange BitMEX, which launched in 2014. He later became managing partner of Maelstrom, an investment firm focused on crypto assets. Hayes is a widely followed commentator on monetary policy and global liquidity conditions, and has long argued that expanding fiat money supplies tend to benefit Bitcoin, whose supply is capped at 21 million coins.

About Korea Blockchain Week

Korea Blockchain Week is an annual blockchain and digital asset conference held in Seoul, South Korea, drawing founders, investors, and developers from across the global crypto industry.

This content was first published on COINOTAG: Arthur Hayes Predicts Trillion-Dollar AI Bailout Within 18 Months, Fueling Bitcoin (BTC)