Last Friday was one of those days.

I had a list for the grocery store, but of course, I forgot it at home.

So there I was, wandering the aisles like a lost tourist, texting my girlfriend for the fifth time: “Did you want almond milk or oat milk? I can’t remember.”

Then, I showed up to the barber for my appointment, only to find out it was scheduled for next Friday.

Things went downhill from there.

Obviously, these weren’t life-shattering events.

But, no matter where you live in the world…

It’s inescapable: so much of life is about reacting. We scramble to fix things, meet deadlines, forget things, lose things, and handle the constant chaos of the unexpected.

Even the most luke-warm problems dictate our priorities.

But what if, instead of reacting to problems, we could anticipate the most tedious of them? 

That’s the essence of the anticipatory economy we talked about Friday -- powered in part by AI.

Of course, not every problem can be anticipated. Nor should we anticipate all of them.

Problems stretch us.

They create opportunities.

Some of the best inventions, discoveries, and ideas started as problems and “happy accidents”.

It’s a good thing that problems will never go away.

But the boring and tedious stuff that just sucks our time and energy? Get rid of them so we can focus on more interesting things.

Take the world of finance.

Want a loan? Fill out paperwork, wait weeks, and hope a human decides you’re worthy.

Want to send a wire? The screen taunts you with warnings of how it might disappear into the ether. A bead of sweat trickles down your forehead, but you click send anyway.

It disappears as you hold your breath…

Only to (hopefully) show up days later.

It’s archaic.

How Crypto Fixes It

Obviously, automating even the “boring” parts of our lives sounds scary.

But consider the analogy I used last week:

When autopilot technology emerged, people feared it would lead to catastrophic failures. But instead, it made flying safer, with rigorous safeguards and human oversight ensuring technology serves as an aid, not a replacement.

Thing is…

Beyond the chaos and weirdness of the crypto industry (fartcoins, FTX, and scam casinos)…

The principles of crypto—decentralization, transparency, security, and individual control—can (and I believe will) serve as critical safeguards in an anticipatory economy powered by AI.

For example, AI models trained on data stored on a blockchain are auditable.

Projects are already beginning to use decentralized ledgers to track and verify the data fed into AI systems, ensuring accountability in how algorithms are developed and used.

Distributed cloud and compute platforms provide decentralized infrastructure for hosting AI applications. This ensures that critical systems remain online and independent.

Blockchain-powered tools like Truepic or Project Origin provide verifiable proofs of authenticity for images and videos. This ensures AI-generated content remains distinguishable from real content.

Systems like OpenLaw use smart contracts to ensure legal agreements are tamper-proof. In an AI-augmented legal system, blockchain ensures fairness and transparency in predictive legal outcomes.

And what about decentralized prediction markets?

In an anticipatory economy, these markets can guide individual decision-making while maintaining trust through transparent and immutable record-keeping.

Take another big example: data.

In the anticipatory economy, data is the new currency. But instead of it all being sucked up to the top, it’ll be tokenized and owned by individuals.

Blockchain-based data marketplaces allow individuals to maintain ownership of their data while monetizing it.

AI agents will broker these tokens, selling your anonymized health data to research firms or your purchasing habits to advertisers—all with your consent and for your benefit.

Universal High Income

This is how we move toward what Elon Musk calls “Universal High Income” -- far more preferable than the much touted “Universal Basic Income”.

The former is focused on abundance and based on proactive efficiency, the latter is focused on scarcity and based on reactive inefficiency.

What’s remarkable is that this isn’t science fiction.

The building blocks are already here.

Crypto provides the decentralized infrastructure and AI provides the anticipatory intelligence. Together they create a system where anticipation, not reaction, is the default.

When you cut inefficiencies, you’re not just getting things done faster—you’re opening the door to what really matters.

The time to be creative, to connect, to experience life without the constant hum of avoidable chaos. That’s the ultimate trade: a little foresight in exchange for a life that’s richer, fuller, and free from wasted moments.

It won’t happen overnight.

But it’s being built right now -- and this is the best time to place your bets.

While the paper maps of our reactive world are still in use, the self-driving future is already pulling up to the curb.

Optimism wins.