Vitalik Buterin says AI won’t break crypto, backs view with 90% of net worth

Buterin dismisses AI crash forecast

Ethereum co‑founder Vitalik Buterin said he does not believe artificial intelligence will cause a 50 % drop in Bitcoin’s price within the next two years. He said most security problems can be fixed and that AI is unlikely to break Bitcoin’s core cryptography.

Key points

• Buterin rejects a 50 % probability of a Bitcoin crash predicted by AI‑risk analyst Liron Shapiro.
• He estimates that about 90 % of his net worth is already at stake in this view.
• AI‑assisted attacks have already pressured services such as the Bitcoin swap provider Boltz.

Buterin’s statement

In a post on X, Buterin wrote that he is “quite optimistic about cybersecurity in the long term” and that the main issue is “getting the transition.” He added that the chance of AI breaking Bitcoin’s hashing or proof‑of‑work system is very low.

AI attacks on crypto infrastructure

Boltz, a Bitcoin swap service, halted its operations after months of automated, AI‑driven probing that produced several exploits. The company said its non‑custodial design kept user funds safe, but it suffered losses and could not continue.

Deddy David, chief executive of security firm Cyvers, warned that AI could find vulnerabilities across wallets, bridges, exchanges and smart contracts, potentially causing losses of hundreds of millions or billions of dollars.

Anthropic limited public access to its Claude Mythos model because it can autonomously discover software flaws that could be weaponized.

Confirmed facts

• Buterin publicly expressed confidence that AI will not break crypto and linked his stance to his personal wealth.
• Shapiro publicly predicted a 50 % chance of a Bitcoin price drop of more than 50 % within two years due to AI‑related confidence issues.
• Boltz announced an indefinite suspension after AI‑assisted exploits.

Uncertainties

• It is not yet clear whether future AI‑driven attacks will remain fixable or could erode investor confidence enough to affect Bitcoin’s price.
• Buterin’s claim that AI will not break Bitcoin’s cryptographic primitives is an opinion, not a proven fact.

Implications for crypto security

The debate highlights a split view on how AI will influence the safety of blockchain networks. If AI can quickly find and exploit software bugs, defenders may need to accelerate security updates. Conversely, if most issues can be patched, the core security of Bitcoin and Ethereum may stay intact.

Sources

• CryptoSlate