Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin publicly responded to a prediction that "AI could cause Bitcoin to drop by more than 50% within two years," clearly stating that he stands in opposition to this prediction, and asserting that the probability of Bitcoin's hash algorithm or proof-of-work mechanism being truly compromised is "extremely low."

The prediction was made by angel investor and AI risk commentator Liron Shapira, who believes that advancements in AI technology could fundamentally undermine the market's "cognitive trust" in Bitcoin's security, giving this scenario a 50% certainty probability with a two-year time frame; Shapira emphasized that the core risk is not that Bitcoin will necessarily face actual technical breaches, but that AI could shake investors' "previously held" consensus on Bitcoin's security guarantees.

Buterin responded by expressing an optimistic long-term outlook on network security, believing that most AI-related threats facing Bitcoin can be addressed through client software upgrades and mining pool infrastructure patches, without needing to alter the underlying social consensus of the network; he clearly distinguished the risks Bitcoin may face into two categories—"operational layer vulnerabilities" that can be patched through software updates, and "fundamental cryptographic breaches" that require broader community consensus to address, stating that the probability of the latter truly breaking through hash functions or proof-of-work itself is "extremely low."

According to reports, Buterin's personal holdings (mainly ETH) account for about 90% of his net worth, and this holding structure is seen as an implicit bet on his judgment that "AI will not lead to a systemic collapse of Bitcoin-like crypto assets."

The report also mentioned that Bitcoin security-related organizations are actively seeking to acquire more advanced AI capabilities, aiming to identify potential protocol layer vulnerabilities ahead of potential attackers, reflecting that the industry is already preparing for this new variable of "AI-assisted offense and defense."

From the market response, as of the publication of this report, Bitcoin's price was around $80,000, having previously reached a high of $82,239; the public debate regarding "whether AI will destroy Bitcoin's security narrative" essentially affects the market's pricing of Bitcoin's long-term security premium—if the "AI breach theory" is accepted by the mainstream market, it could lower the premium investors are willing to pay for Bitcoin's security, accelerating the flow of funds from proof-of-work assets like Bitcoin to asset classes considered less impacted by AI; Buterin's public opposition to this pessimistic prediction as a leading figure in the industry helps stabilize market confidence in the long-term security narrative of mainstream proof-of-work assets.

Source: Public Information