Ethereum Researchers Warn AI Could Crack Crypto Before Q-Day
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Written by:
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- Yohan Yun, staff editor
Vitalik Buterin backs crypto ‘bunker mode’ amid rapid AI math advances
Latest News
Published: Oct 8, 2026
Ethereum researchers say crypto users should consider an orderly migration of funds to fresh addresses, warning AI could threaten private-key security before quantum computers do.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has backed a new warning that advances in artificial intelligence could undermine the cryptography used in today’s blockchains before quantum computers do.
Buterin was responding to a post from Ethereum researcher Justin Drake urging the industry to prepare for “bunker mode,” as AI could eventually make it possible to break the elliptic curve digital signature algorithm (ECDSA) used to secure cryptocurrency wallets.
Drake's advice:
- Gradual migration of funds to fresh wallets where public key is not exposed.
"I don’t recommend anyone scramble to move their funds to new wallets today,” Buterin wrote. "But we should take the risks to cryptography from AI-accelerated math seriously."
Drake noted that OpenAI's recent releases of mathematical findings across various fields, including algebra and theoretical computer science, highlight the rapid advancements in AI.
Concerns:
- Elliptic curves vulnerability to superintelligence.
- Potential weaknesses in lattice-based cryptography as well.
Buterin agrees, stating that Ethereum’s roadmap is shifting towards a "hash-only" direction to address these concerns.
Other experts like Dragonfly managing partner Haseeb Qureshi also advocate for precautions, calling Drake's warning “a very sober call."