Artificial intelligence is reshaping multiple industries, and the same questions continue wherever it goes. “Will artificial intelligence replace humans?” In cryptocurrencies, the impact is already visible, from AI-powered trading bots to agent trading systems.
However, Nansen co-founder and CEO Alex Svanevik argues that AI is not a replacement for human judgment, but rather an extension of it. In an exclusive interview with BeInCrypto, Svanevik explores this shift and outlines what lies ahead with AI-powered analytics.
AI controversy in cryptocurrencies: Nansen CEO advocates expansion, not replacement
On January 21st, Nansen announced the launch of on-chain trading capabilities powered by AI. This marks a major shift from pure analytics platforms to integrated insights and execution products.
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Built on a unique dataset of over 500 million labeled wallets, the new release enables users to manage their portfolios, interpret live on-chain signals, and get data-backed recommendations. It also allows users to perform transactions directly within Nansen.
“Trained and evaluated on Nansen’s proprietary datasets, Nansen AI consistently outperforms leading AI products in benchmarks designed for on-chain analytics and trading use cases. This makes the insights provided not only more accurate, but also directly actionable for traders/investors, turning agent intelligence into an actionable trading edge,” the announcement reads.
Additionally, this launch unlocks what Nansen calls “vibe trading.” This is described as a more intuitive way to move from insights to on-chain execution without switching tools.
As AI takes on more analytical tasks, the role of human analysts will be called into question. Svanevik said AI has superior processing scale and can analyze hundreds of millions of wallets, track cross-chain flows, and identify patterns that are difficult for humans to detect.
However, he emphasized that decision-making rests with the user, who ultimately guides the process by asking the right questions and approving actions.
“The boundaries are not fixed. As AI inferences improve and on-chain data becomes richer, the boundaries will change. But the goal is not to replace judgment; it is to free humans from menial tasks and allow them to focus on higher-order decision-making.”
What makes analytics reliable in an AI-first crypto market?
Research shows that increased reliance on artificial intelligence tools can lead to a decline in critical thinking skills. The risks are even higher in the cryptocurrency market, where traders have to navigate extreme volatility and high-risk assets.
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However, Svanevik took a different view. He argued that “better AI” would surface more signals and prompt users to think more critically about their actions.
“The real systemic risk occurs when everyone executes the same playbook. This is not unique to AI, it happens to human analysts as well. The answer is diversity: different models, different strategies, different interpretations of data. That’s why we’re building tools that enable individual decision-making, rather than a single oracle that everyone follows,” he added.
The executive also emphasized that neither AI nor human analysts should be blindly trusted. What matters, he says, is whether the analysis holds consistently over time.
Regarding credibility in the AI-first market, the CEO explained:
“Trustworthiness in an AI-first era comes from measurement and repetition, not from names or Twitter followers. AI has the advantage of being able to be ruthlessly tested against reality at scale in ways that individual humans cannot.”
He shared that the simplest test is a practical one. Svanevik suggested that users should ask questions that are important to them and judge whether the answers are grounded, useful, and actionable, noting that users tend to be effective judges of quality.
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“In the long term, trust will move from individual analysts to platforms that can continually prove that they bring the signal to the surface and reduce the noise. That is the standard we should hold ourselves to,” Svanevik told BeInCrypto.
Why AI can analyze on-chain data, but can’t replace human beliefs
Human analysts often align trading decisions with on-chain indicators, price data, and other signals through judgment and contextual interpretation. AI systems, on the other hand, rely on patterns learned from past data.
When asked if AI might eventually develop similar forms of judgment, Svanevik said it was likely, although not human-sensory.
He elaborated that AI will develop its own forms of contextual reasoning. The executive believes it can be more effective to integrate live data across a much broader set of variables than humans can track.
“That path is enabled by better training data, longer context windows, and feedback loops from actual execution. We are already seeing this in our agents, which go beyond pattern matching to infer behavioral data in real time. This is an early judgment. As the model evolves and combines learning from millions of on-chain interactions, the judgment will become sharper,” Svanevik said.
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But he also identified one aspect of on-chain analytics that he believes AI will never fully replace: being responsible for decision-making under uncertainty.
Svanevik pointed out that while AI can reveal patterns, probabilities, and potential scenarios and assess what has happened or what could happen based on data, it cannot determine an individual’s risk tolerance or value judgment or take responsibility for decisions if the outcome is negative.
“On-chain analysis ultimately translates into real-world actions such as deploying capital, supporting teams, and calling the public. Someone needs to own those decisions. That’s a human role,” the executive said.
He emphasized that no matter how advanced AI models become, trustworthiness in terms of judgment, accountability, and belief will still depend on humans. He said that while AI may make decisions, humans ultimately make the decisions and bear the consequences.
“Decide what’s important. AI can tell you what’s happening on the chain, but it can’t tell you what to pay attention to. That’s taste. That’s belief. That’s human,” Svanevik commented.
Ultimately, Svanevik sees AI as a powerful enabler rather than a decision maker. While AI can uncover patterns, probabilities, and insights at an unprecedented scale, human judgment remains central to risk, accountability, and confidence.
As AI-driven analytics becomes more prevalent, there is increasing trust in platforms that can continuously prove the quality of their insights. At the same time, humans remain responsible for deciding what is important and supporting those outcomes.
