Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin said the crypto industry should take seriously the risk that AI-driven advances in mathematics could weaken modern cryptography. In a post cited by Techub News, Buterin said developers and users should reduce reliance on cryptographic systems that could be broken by quantum computing or AI.
He singled out lattice-based cryptography as a new center of risk, naming ML-DSA, fully homomorphic encryption, and lattices. According to Buterin, AI could materially improve the ability to break lattice cryptography within two years. He also said Ethereum’s “lean” roadmap has shifted toward a “hash-only” direction, with signature schemes based entirely on hash functions such as WOTS or SPHINCS-.
For cases like public-key encryption that still depend on specific mathematical structures, Buterin suggested increasing key sizes by a factor of 10 to improve security. He also offered practical wallet guidance: where feasible, funds should be kept in addresses that have never made a transaction, and multisig wallets should confirm actions off-chain so signatures are not publicly exposed on-chain.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin said the industry should treat the risk from AI-accelerated mathematical breakthroughs in cryptography seriously and reduce reliance on schemes that could be broken by quantum computing or AI, according to Techub News.
Lattice cryptography named as a key risk area
Buterin said lattice-based cryptography, including ML-DSA, FHE, and lattices, has become a new core area of risk. He said AI could significantly improve the ability to break lattice cryptography within two years.
Ethereum roadmap shifts toward a hash-only approach
He also said Ethereum’s lean roadmap has moved toward a “hash-only” direction, with signature schemes based entirely on hash functions, including WOTS or SPHINCS-.
Advice on key size and wallet operations
For scenarios such as public-key encryption that must rely on specific mathematical structures, Buterin suggested multiplying key sizes by 10 to strengthen security.
He added that, where feasible, it is sensible to keep funds in addresses that have not yet made any transactions. For multisig wallets, he recommended confirming actions off-chain to avoid publicly exposing signatures.
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