Bitcoin currently trades near $77,000, far below the $100,000 level it held for much of last year.
The digital asset briefly approached $82,000 as the CLARITY Act advanced in the Senate but later lost support at $80,000 and $78,000.
Four prominent artificial intelligence models have been asked to predict if Bitcoin can still reach $100,000 in 2026.
Their forecasts range from bullish to bearish, reflecting differing views on market conditions.
ChatGPT and Grok Remain Optimistic
ChatGPT maintains its March forecast, predicting Bitcoin will trade between $110,000 and $150,000 by year-end, with a bullish peak at $180,000.
The model attributes recent market pressure to a single day of synchronized negative macroeconomic events on May 13.
On that day, the Bank of Japan indicated foreign bond liquidations, PPI inflation rose to 6%, and Kevin Warsh was confirmed as the new Federal Reserve Chairman.
ChatGPT views this as a short-term disruption, not a long-term institutional exit.
Spot Bitcoin ETFs continue to provide strong demand, absorbing $3.29 billion during March and April.
These inflows helped offset reduced supply from the April 2024 halving, which cut new Bitcoin issuance by half.
Recent market liquidations erased $1.26 billion from those figures, but total cumulative inflows since January 2024 remain at $58.5 billion.
Grok adjusted its previous $250,000 projection downward to a new range of $130,000 to $180,000.
Gemini also reduced its initial target from $220,000 to a more conservative $100,000 to $140,000.
Both systems still expect Bitcoin to cross $100,000, but attach conditions related to the CLARITY Act and Federal Reserve policies.
Claude Stands Alone as Bearish
Claude is the only major AI model predicting Bitcoin will fail to reach $100,000 in 2026, forecasting a range of $75,000 to $95,000.
The model cites a technical rejection at the 200-day moving average of $82,455 and parallels to March 2022 as signs the cyclical peak has ended.
Meanwhile, traders on the decentralized prediction market Polymarket assign a 51% probability for Bitcoin reaching $100,000 by year-end, and an 87% chance of staying above $80,000.
