AI lowers barrier to hacking, crypto industry urges opening latest models to bitcoin developers

[DigitalToday reporter Yoonseo Lee (이윤서)] The cryptocurrency industry urged artificial intelligence (AI) companies to expand early access to state-of-the-art AI models for bitcoin developers and security personnel responsible for open-source financial infrastructure.

Cointelegraph, a blockchain outlet, reported on Aug. 12 that the Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI) released an open letter calling for such steps.

The letter said defenders of digital assets, including Bitcoin Core developers, are often unable to access AI labs' cybersecurity programmes. It said use is also limited by guardrails on publicly available top-tier models. As a result, it argued they have no choice but to rely on lower-performing open-weight models.

Companies and groups that signed the letter urged top AI labs to create or expand a standing access programme for those responsible for defending open-source financial infrastructure. Signatories included Africa Bitcoin Institute, Anchorage Digital, BitGo, Bitwise, Blockstream, Bull Bitcoin, Mara, Kraken, Ledger and Trezor.

They said the core issue is that AI is changing the cost structure of security research and cyber operations. Advanced AI models can scour large code repositories to find potential vulnerabilities and quickly carry out complex technical tasks. Those capabilities can be used to strengthen defence, but can also provide the same advantages to attackers.