AI-Powered Hacking Won't Break Crypto Security, Vitalik Buterin Says
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin is pushing back against concerns that AI-powered hacking will break crypto security. In a recent post on X, he argued that the same technology fueling new attacks could make software fundamentally harder to breach.
Buterin's argument centers around formal verification, a method using mathematical proofs to confirm that software meets a defined security standard. He believes AI systems capable of solving complex mathematical problems can apply this reasoning to prove a program is secure, even when it's large and complicated.
The co-founder emphasized that writing the definition itself, not verifying code, is the most difficult challenge in formal verification. A single definition can run over a thousand lines and require deep thought to get right.
Ethereum intends to pursue full-program verification covering databases, networking, and caching layers over the next several years, with Buterin stating there's 'no future for blockchains' without doing this.