Crypto Firms Demand Frontier AI Access for Bitcoin Developers

A coalition of crypto companies and the Bitcoin Policy Institute is calling on major AI labs to grant Bitcoin developers early access to frontier models. The group believes stronger tools could help defenders identify vulnerabilities before attackers exploit open-source financial infrastructure.

The letter, published by the BPI, highlights the difficulties faced by Bitcoin Core developers and other maintainers in accessing advanced cyber programs run by AI labs. Public frontier systems can block some security work through built-in guardrails, forcing developers to rely on less capable models when examining software that supports digital and financial systems.

The African Bitcoin Institute, Anchorage Digital, BitGo, Bitwise, Blockstream, Bull Bitcoin, MARA, Kraken, Ledger, and Trezor have joined the appeal. They argue that Bitcoin alone secures more than $1 trillion in value, and that frontier AI can scan large codebases, detect possible weaknesses, and speed up difficult technical work.

The BPI noted that several open-source maintainers had reported sophisticated actors using advanced AI capabilities to sustain attacks. The group fears that without dedicated access programs, defenders may struggle to keep pace with evolving threats. In April 2026, crypto hacking activity rose sharply, with malicious actors stealing more than $634 million from cryptocurrency platforms.