Vitalik Buterin warned that advances in artificial intelligence could dramatically change how crypto systems are attacked and defended. He argues that the industry may need to move toward mathematically verified software to protect critical infrastructure.

In a new essay published on 18 May, Buterin said increasingly powerful AI models could make it far easier to discover and exploit vulnerabilities in complex software systems.

This is especially true in areas like smart contracts, zero-knowledge infrastructure, and cryptographic protocols.

He described bugs in crypto infrastructure as becoming “even more scary” when combined with AI systems capable of automating vulnerability discovery.

What Vitalik wants instead

Rather than…