The Disagreement Over When to Trust Artificial Intelligence: Arjun Sethi from Kraken's View Meets Dragonfly's Optimism

In the world of cryptocurrencies, the most heated debates are about the future—not whether it will happen, but when. This was especially evident during a lively discussion at NEARCON 2026 between Arjen Sethi, co-CEO of Kraken, and Haseeb Kourishi from the investment firm Dragonfly. The disagreement isn’t philosophical but practical: have AI systems evolved enough to manage real funds?

The core issue: reliability and risks

Kourishi believes the industry is moving too quickly toward widespread deployment. It’s clear that systems operating at 90% efficiency are not suitable for real economic use, and even 95% isn’t enough. The problem isn’t purely mathematical but related to the nature of failure itself: “It’s a lot of nothing… then everything suddenly. We’re still in the phase where nothing happens.”

Kourishi warned that social media hype and viral demos distort perceptions of technological readiness. Amazing things aren’t necessarily robust systems. Regarding major platforms, he was blunt: “You can’t do this.”

A different perspective: exponential development and managed risks

On the other side, Arjen Sethi argued that the rate of improvement is accelerating exponentially. Not only is this his view, but Kraken itself is already building agent-like capabilities for clients “within weeks and months, not years.”

Sethi sees what Kourishi considers a steep threshold before widespread deployment as surmountable through rapid iteration. Security and risks, in his view, develop hand in hand: “The attack surface is expanding at the same rate as the defense surface.”

Trust test: numbers reveal the real divide

In a revealing moment, when Kourishi was asked what percentage of his personal portfolio AI can currently manage better than humans, he replied: “Only five percent.” Sethi responded immediately: “One hundred percent.”

The gap was even sharper when asked about managing all their cryptocurrencies with an autonomous agent over a year. Sethi didn’t hesitate: “Everything, within the next six to twelve months.” Kourishi’s silence was enough of an answer.

Reflection of a deeper industry divide

This exchange isn’t just a personal disagreement between executives. It reflects a fundamental question facing the crypto world: is self-custody and automated fund management inevitable in the near future? Or is it still an experimental frontier requiring years of development and testing?

The debate between Arjen Sethi and Kourishi reveals a real gamble: how much risk is the industry willing to take to realize this vision? On one side, an ambitious desire to accelerate progress. On the other, a cautious warning against rushing.