Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin on September 7 dismissed Liron Shapira's forecast that artificial intelligence could undermine confidence in Bitcoin's security and push its price down by more than 50% over the next two years. Shapira estimated the probability of such a scenario at 50%. Buterin, however, considers the likelihood of actual hashing or proof-of-work (PoW) failures in the next two years to be extremely low. He believes that potential threats can be addressed through software updates that do not require social consensus decisions.
Buterin emphasized that the primary risks are not cryptographic threats, but rather risks related to Bitcoin's transition into a world where both attackers and defenders operate with increasingly powerful AI systems. He identified the speed of software updates as a key factor. Buterin also noted that Bitcoin security groups are actively seeking access to cutting-edge AI technologies to detect vulnerabilities earlier, so that defenders can respond to threats faster than malicious actors. "The probability of actual hashing or PoW failures is extremely low" – that is his assessment of the situation.
Supporting Buterin's position, more than 40 organizations working with digital assets, including BitGo and Coinbase, have reached out to leading AI labs requesting controlled access to their models in order to improve Bitcoin's security. They are reported to believe that defenders should have early access to the same tools that malicious actors might use. At the time of the debate, Bitcoin's price stood at around $79,590, down 0.5% from the previous session. These price movements are not related to the dispute between Shapira and Buterin, as their forecasts concern potential risks rather than an immediate threat to the Bitcoin network itself.
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This material is prepared exclusively for informational purposes and does not constitute financial advice or a recommendation.