Australia’s 40-Year Economic Outlook Highlights AI, Skips Crypto Entirely

Australia’s latest long-term economic forecast identifies artificial intelligence as one of five major forces set to reshape the country’s economy over the coming decades, while leaving digital assets and crypto infrastructure entirely unaddressed.

AI Named a Key Economic Driver

The government report described AI systems as having become significantly more capable and widely used, in some cases surpassing human performance on certain tasks. It listed AI alongside geopolitical tensions, an aging population, the shift toward clean energy, and a broader move toward a services based economy as the major transitions expected to shape the nation’s future.

Industry Voices Concern Over the Omission

A representative from a major crypto exchange operating in Australia said the report overlooks the financial infrastructure that increasingly autonomous AI systems will eventually require to operate and transact. This is not the first time such reports have skipped digital assets, despite growing attention to tokenized finance from the country’s central bank and research suggesting significant potential economic gains from digital finance innovation.

A Separate Report Bridges the Gap

Notably, a separate government strategy document released earlier this month did address the connection between AI and financial infrastructure, noting that increasingly autonomous systems could drive a rise in automated, machine-to-machine transactions, creating demand for real-time and programmable payment systems. Industry representatives say the country has made progress on regulatory clarity for digital asset platforms, but argue more work is needed on frameworks for stablecoins and tokenized markets to support the next phase of digital finance.