Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin said AI-driven advances in mathematics should be treated as a real cryptographic risk, not only for algorithms already seen as vulnerable in a quantum setting but also for schemes that could be affected by faster research progress more broadly. In his post on X, Buterin pointed to lattice-based cryptography, including ML-DSA and fully homomorphic encryption, as a key area of concern. He said that if AI delivers the equivalent of roughly 50 years of mathematical progress over the next two years, the concrete security of lattice-based systems could fall materially, and ECDSA could also break earlier than expected.
Buterin said this is one of the main reasons Ethereum’s Lean roadmap has shifted over the past year toward pure hash-based signatures such as WOTS and SPHINCS-, reducing reliance on lattice assumptions. On user funds, he said he does not recommend that anyone hastily move assets into a new wallet today. If the process is easy, he said funds can be placed in an address that has not yet sent a transaction, though migration itself carries loss risk. For multisig setups, he added that off-chain confirmation is preferable to avoid exposing signatures publicly.
Vitalik Buterin said in a post on X that cryptographic risks tied to AI-accelerated mathematical research should be taken seriously. He said the issue is not limited to algorithms already viewed as quantum-vulnerable, but also extends to schemes that AI could affect through faster research progress.
He identified lattice-based cryptography, including ML-DSA and fully homomorphic encryption (FHE), as the main new risk area. If AI produces the equivalent of about 50 years of mathematical progress over the next two years, he said, the concrete security of lattice-based cryptography could decline materially. ECDSA could also fail earlier than expected.
Why Ethereum’s Lean roadmap shifted toward hash-based signatures
Buterin said this is one of the important reasons Ethereum’s Lean roadmap has moved over the past year toward pure hash-based signature schemes such as WOTS and SPHINCS-. In his description, that shift also reduces reliance on lattice-based cryptography.
What he said about asset handling
On funds, Buterin said he does not recommend that anyone rush to move assets into a new wallet today. If doing so is not difficult, he said funds can be placed in an address that has not yet sent a transaction, although migration itself carries a risk of loss.
For multisig arrangements, he said off-chain confirmation is preferable so signatures are not exposed publicly.
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