Vitalik Buterin argues the crypto industry must adopt quantum and AI-resistant encryption to protect against future threats.
AI & Agents ·
Vitalik Buterin has said it is "plausible" that artificial intelligence could break encryption within the next two years, particularly lattice-based cryptography used in quantum-proofing efforts. His comments follow a similar warning from Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake, who suggested AI-accelerated mathematical advances might compromise encryption before quantum computers become powerful enough to pose a threat. Buterin argued that if AI compresses fifty years of mathematical progress into two years, that advancement could significantly improve the ability to break lattice-based systems.
The concern creates a paradox for blockchain projects considering lattice-based cryptography as protection against quantum threats. Projects like Cardano have explored this approach, but moving funds to lattice-protected addresses in the near term could expose users to AI-driven attacks in the short run while defending against quantum threats later. Buterin suggested hash-based cryptography might be a safer alternative, though he acknowledged theoretical risks that AI could eventually compromise that method as well.
Buterin stopped short of recommending immediate action, instead proposing a measured approach: keeping funds in addresses that have not made transactions, since unexposed public keys significantly reduce attack surface. Other experts cautioned against treating the two-year scenario as a hard deadline, emphasizing preparation over panic while noting that actual breaks in these systems have not yet been demonstrated.