AI Data Center Boom May Pave Way for Tokenized Economy and Surveillance

The massive build-up of AI data centers could serve as infrastructure for tokenizing the economy and enabling surveillance, according to a speculative analysis on Naked Capitalism. Tokenization converts real-world assets into blockchain-based digital tokens, allowing financialization of almost anything. The Boston Consulting Group expects asset tokenization to exceed $16 trillion by 2030, while the World Economic Forum predicted 10% of global GDP by 2027. Tokenization requires data storage and computing power, but unlike decentralized blockchains, controlled tokenization needs approved entities to run validating nodes. The author argues that a fully tokenized economy with identity-linked data and machine-learning monitoring would require infrastructure similar to large-scale AI systems. The analysis suggests that if current LLM models fail to deliver AGI, tokenization and its monitoring could repurpose data centers. Another use case is surveillance: combining digital, monetary, communicative, and locational data with algorithmic intelligence, as done by Palantir, could enable programmable money capabilities. The author questions whether the AI narrative is a cover for building infrastructure for tokenization and state surveillance.