Andy Yen: AI knows you better than you know yourself, privacy is a fundamental human right, and the unsustainable nature of AI subscription models | Bankless

AI's ability to predict human behavior raises urgent privacy concerns in the digital age.

Listen on Bankless

Share

Add us on Google by Editorial Team Mar. 23, 2026

Key takeaways

• AI’s capability to understand and predict human behavior poses ethical concerns about privacy and autonomy.
• The average person’s digital privacy is increasingly compromised due to advancing technologies.
• AI accelerates intimate data collection, enhancing existing business models.
• Tech companies record and analyze user interactions with AI tools, raising privacy concerns.
• Information shared with AI can become part of its training data, risking inadvertent disclosure.
• AI tools like ChatGPT may know users better than their closest relationships, impacting privacy.
• The market cap of top AI companies rivals that of many countries, suggesting significant influence.
• Subscription models for AI services may not be sustainable due to high operational costs.
• Current AI business models often prioritize profit over user privacy.
• AI technology costs are expected to decrease exponentially, affecting future development.
• There are no technical or legal barriers preventing full encryption for user data.
• Privacy is a fundamental human right and should not be considered a luxury.
• Many crypto foundations were created for fraudulent purposes rather than social benefit.
• The gap between open source and proprietary AI models is narrowing, making open source a viable option.
• Trust in crypto systems requires trust in both the technology and the people behind it.

Guest intro

Andy Yen is the founder and CEO of Proton, the privacy-focused tech company behind encrypted email service Proton Mail. Prior to founding Proton in 2014, he worked as a particle physicist at CERN, where he co-developed the infrastructure for secure, end-to-end encrypted communication inspired by large-scale computing challenges. His commitment to user privacy stems from experiences like Edward Snowden’s revelations and concerns over authoritarian surveillance.

The implications of AI’s growing influence

• AI has the potential to understand users better than they know themselves. “AI could know you better than you know yourself.” – Andy Yen
• AI can exploit personal weaknesses, raising ethical concerns. “AI will actually be able to exploit the weaknesses of your personality.” – Andy Yen
• The average person’s digital privacy is increasingly compromised. “The average person is quite compromised in terms of digital privacy today.” – Andy Yen
• AI accelerates existing business models by enabling more intimate data collection. “AI is simply an extension of a trend that’s been going on for fifty years.” – Andy Yen
• Tech companies record and analyze every conversation users have with AI tools. “Tech companies can see it because they are recording and analyzing every conversation.” – Andy Yen
• AI tools retain user data to improve services and target ads. “They’re actually looking at this information to improve these programs.” – Andy Yen
• Information shared with AI models can become part of their training data. “The information you give it becomes part of its brain.” – Andy Yen
• Once information is shared with AI, it is difficult to retract. “Once you put it out there, you cannot really take it back.” – Andy Yen

The power dynamics of AI and tech companies

• AI companies’ market capitalization exceeds that of many countries. “These companies have gotten so big that they are more powerful than governments.” – Andy Yen
• The subscription model for AI services may not be sustainable. “I don’t see how it’s possible to sustain that level of capex from a subscription model.” – Andy Yen
• Current AI business models prioritize profit over user privacy. “These are profit-driven companies that care only about profit.” – Andy Yen
• The cost of AI technology is expected to decrease exponentially. “The cost of AI is going to go down probably exponentially with time.” – Andy Yen
• There are no technical or legal barriers preventing full encryption for user data. “There’s no technical limitation that prevents them from doing what we’re doing.” – Andy Yen
• The aggressive data practices of companies are driven by capitalism. “Capitalism drives them to make the highest possible profits.” – Andy Yen
• Loomo’s approach ensures user conversations remain private. “We don’t keep a record of any of your conversations.” – Andy Yen
• Google’s business model creates a misalignment of incentives that undermines privacy. “You’re not actually Google’s customer; you’re the product.” – Andy Yen

The challenges of privacy and encryption

• Privacy is a modern-day digital civil liberty and a fundamental human right. “Privacy is our last defense against surveillance capitalism.” – Andy Yen
• The mandatory scanning of tech companies has been removed in Europe, a win for privacy. “The mandatory part has been removed, which is a huge win for Europe.” – Andy Yen
• There should be a modern digital bill of rights that enshrines the right to encrypt data. “Every citizen should always have the ability to encrypt their data.” – Andy Yen
• Legislation regarding privacy needs to be strengthened and informed by tech-savvy individuals. “We need a new generation of legislators who are more tech native.” – Andy Yen
• Governments can inadvertently worsen privacy legislation due to a lack of understanding. “You could actually make it worse.” – Andy Yen
• Backdoors in technology do not exist in a way that only allows good actors access. “I’ve never seen a backdoor that only left the good guys in.” – Andy Yen
• Mass surveillance undermines the presumption of innocence, crucial for democracy. “Mass surveillance is essentially saying everybody is under surveillance by default.” – Andy Yen

The role of crypto in financial freedom

• Financial transactions should be peer-to-peer and private. “Financial transactions should be peer to peer and should be private.” – Andy Yen
• Venezuela’s high Bitcoin adoption is due to extreme inflation and government control. “Venezuela is one of the countries with the highest Bitcoin adoption.” – Andy Yen
• Financial freedom is essential for actual freedom, and banning crypto is akin to banning cash. “There is no difference between freedom and financial freedom.” – Andy Yen
• The ratio of legitimate to illegitimate uses of crypto is skewed towards illegitimacy. “The ratio between legitimate and illegitimate uses is incorrect.” – Andy Yen
• Illegitimate uses and scams in crypto may constitute around 40% of the ecosystem. “It’s probably 40%, a substantial part of the ecosystem.” – Andy Yen
• The crypto community must address illicit activities to achieve mainstream acceptance. “Crypto will have a limit to its influence if we don’t tackle that problem.” – Andy Yen
• Creating a hostile environment for illicit actors is essential for crypto’s reputation. “It’s about creating an environment hostile to bad actors.” – Andy Yen

The importance of email and digital identity

• Email will remain a crucial aspect of digital identity for the foreseeable future. “Email is not just communication; it’s your digital identity.” – Andy Yen
• Switching from Gmail to ProtonMail is about opting out of Google’s data collection. “Switching to ProtonMail is erasing your identity from Google.” – Andy Yen
• Transferring your data to a more trusted provider can enhance privacy. “It’s easy now; a couple of clicks and you’re done.” – Andy Yen
• Using different aliases for online accounts can reduce spam and protect identity. “Spin up a different alias in Proton to use a fake alias.” – Andy Yen
• Locking down your email and identity is crucial to prevent hacks in crypto. “We have a lot of email accounts that get hacked in crypto.” – Andy Yen

The influence of big tech on privacy and regulation

• Big tech companies may engage in anti-competitive practices that threaten privacy-focused companies. “Big tech could engage in anti-competitive practices to wipe out privacy companies.” – Andy Yen
• The lack of regulation allows big tech to potentially control government and democracy. “Big tech controls our government and our democracy.” – Andy Yen
• Consumer choices play a crucial role in steering the economic and political future. “The most powerful force in capitalism is the individual consumer.” – Andy Yen
• Crypto could potentially capture 30% of the overall finance market. “Crypto could go from less than a percent to 30% of finance overall.” – Andy Yen
• The success of privacy-focused services depends on creating a competitive user experience. “We need a user experience that is a viable replacement for traditional finance.” – Andy Yen

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.