Vitalik Buterin Says AI Could Speed Search for Cryptographic Attacks

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin said artificial intelligence could help researchers find more efficient attacks on cryptographic systems, potentially compressing decades of mathematical research into five years.

Buterin said AI could produce the equivalent of more than 50 years of human mathematical research in five years. He named the elliptic-curve discrete logarithm problem, bilinear pairings and lattice cryptography as areas where more efficient attack algorithms might be discovered. His estimate concerned the pace of research that could reveal such algorithms.

Coinbase head of cryptography Yehuda Lindell said the cryptography community has no consensus that elliptic-curve cryptography is likely to be broken. He also said no evidence supports that conclusion.

The comments extend Buterin’s earlier discussion of preparing for AI-related cyberattacks. He has argued that restrictions based on how AI is used are less harmful than limits based on users’ identities. He also called for time to strengthen systems and review older code.