Crypto firms demand access to advanced AI models amid rising hacking threats
More than 30 cryptocurrency companies have called on leading artificial intelligence developers to give security researchers early access to their most powerful models. They argue that existing restrictions make it harder for defenders to identify vulnerabilities, while attackers can bypass such barriers.
The open letter was organized by the Bitcoin Policy Institute. Signatories include Coinbase, Block, BitGo, Blockstream, Anchorage Digital, ARK Invest, Bitwise, Foundry, Casa, Exodus and several organizations that fund Bitcoin developers.
Concerns over AI restrictions
The letter's authors argue that Bitcoin Core developers and independent researchers lack access to advanced models that AI companies make available to selected cybersecurity partners.
When using publicly available systems, researchers encounter safety restrictions. Filters designed to prevent the creation of malware can also block legitimate attempts to identify vulnerabilities.
As a result, security specialists are often forced to rely on open-weight models, which can be less capable than the most advanced closed systems. Attackers, meanwhile, can obtain the tools they need through open models, compromised corporate accounts and specialized software.
The signatories proposed giving researchers early access to the most powerful AI models, sufficient computing resources and secure environments for analyzing private code. They also want such programs to be available to smaller teams and direct communication channels established with AI companies' security teams.
AI is already helping find vulnerabilities in Bitcoin projects
The appeal comes shortly after the discovery of a critical vulnerability in BTCPay Server that attackers exploited to steal funds from merchants' Lightning nodes. A node operated by hardware wallet maker Foundation was among those affected. Both companies signed the letter.
At the same time, the Bitcoin Red Team has begun using AI to audit software used by crypto projects. Researchers have submitted thousands of reports about potential vulnerabilities across hundreds of projects, with one review leading to a fix in BTCPay Server.
The growing risks have already drawn the attention of U.S. lawmakers. House Democrats are seeking testimony from representatives of leading AI companies following a series of incidents involving the use of advanced models in cybersecurity.
We previously reported that cryptocurrency projects lost around $972 million across 207 hacks in the first half of 2026. This marked a record number of hacks for a six-month period.
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