Crypto Firms Demand AI Labs Grant Bitcoin Developers Early Access

A group of cryptocurrency companies has called on frontier artificial intelligence (AI) labs to provide early access to their most advanced models for Bitcoin developers.

The letter, published by the Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI), argues that many digital asset defenders, including Bitcoin Core developers, lack access to these lab cyber programs and are blocked by guardrails on publicly available frontier systems.

This leaves them relying on less capable open-weight models. The signatories urged frontier AI labs to 'establish or expand standing trusted-access programs for qualified defenders of open-source financial infrastructure.'

Open-source software supports critical digital and financial infrastructure, with Bitcoin alone securing over $1 trillion in value. A vulnerability in this infrastructure can place life savings at risk.

The letter was co-signed by multiple crypto companies and organizations, including the African Bitcoin Institute, Anchorage Digital, BitGo, Bitwise, Blockstream, Bull Bitcoin, MARA, Kraken, Ledger, and Trezor.