Crypto companies urge AI firms to give Bitcoin developers early access

The Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI) and other cryptocurrency entities have called on artificial intelligence (AI) firms to provide early access to their leading models in support of Bitcoin and open-source software developers in their cybersecurity endeavors. The letter, published by BPI on Monday, highlights that many digital asset defenders, including Bitcoin Core developers, have limited access to lab cyber programs and may be restricted by guardrails on publicly available frontier systems, forcing them to use less powerful open-weight models.

The signatories urge AI labs to establish or expand trusted-access programs for qualified defenders of open-source financial infrastructure. Open-source software powers essential digital and financial systems, with Bitcoin securing more than $1 trillion in value alone. A weakness in open-source infrastructure could jeopardize individuals' life savings.

Frontier AI is transforming the field of security research and cyber operations, as advanced models can analyze extensive codebases, pinpoint vulnerabilities, and expedite complex technical tasks for both defenders and adversaries. The letter notes that frontier AI could become one of the most potent defensive technologies ever created.

Without dedicated access programs, defenders may not have the necessary tools to keep up with evolving threats to the infrastructure they oversee. The BPI received multiple independent reports from open-source maintainers detailing sophisticated actors, including potential foreign adversaries, utilizing advanced AI capabilities to perpetrate attacks.

Crypto hacks totaled over $634 million in a single month, marking the highest monthly sum in history, as reported by DefiLlama data.