Artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT seems to have picked its side in the long-running dispute over whether gold and bitcoin are safe investments.

“The AI is pretty smart after all,” he said. “He didn’t recommend investing in bitcoin.”

The investor referred to a report published last week highlighting ChatGPT’s idea of a “recession-proof” portfolio. The document, published in the Gold IRA Guide, claimed that ChatGPT recommends a 20% allocation to gold and other precious metals to minimise the impact of any market downturn.

The rest of the hypothetical portfolio consisted of bonds (40%), ‘protective’ stocks (30%) and cash (10%) – without any mention of bitcoin.

However, the AI bot’s response may not necessarily be an attack on cryptocurrencies as well as a promotion of gold. When Decrypt directly asked its opinion on “gold or bitcoin” on 6 April, ChatGPT replied that the choice of what to buy ultimately depends on your investment goals.

“[Gold] is a tangible asset that is considered a safe investment in times of economic uncertainty,” the bot stated. “Gold is a finite resource that is difficult and expensive to mine, which gives it a certain level of scarcity and intrinsic value.”

Bot contrasted historical money with bitcoin, which is “not backed by any physical asset or government” and is “seen by many as a speculative investment”.

“Gold may be a better choice for those looking for stable, long-term investments, while bitcoin may be more suitable for those looking for a high-risk, high-return investment opportunity,” the bot concluded.

It should also be noted that the body of knowledge on which ChatGPT is based is only valid until 2021 and probably does not include the significant moves – both up and down – that have happened to the bitcoin price since then.

Investors in gold and bitcoin are in big gains this year, with each asset up 10% and 68% respectively since the start of the year. The former has just broken multi-year resistance at $2,000 per ounce, which could now serve as the “launching pad for the moon strike”.

Gold and bitcoin are often compared as forms of money because of their strong monetary properties – notably scarcity, which theoretically makes them resistant to inflation or depreciation like fiat currencies. Both assets rose sharply in March after the Federal Reserve bailed out Silicon Valley bank depositors, injecting hundreds of billions of dollars into the banking system to prevent similar bankruptcies.