Vitalik said AI may become the new interface for on-chain operations, but security risks such as prompt injection and misunderstanding remain to be addressed.
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【Vitalik：AI may become the new user interface, with directly executing complex on-chain operations potentially becoming commonplace]
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin said in Singapore OKX Now 2026 summit that AI is demonstrating the ability to break out of sandboxes, attack websites, and discover software vulnerabilities, while also helping the Ethereum protocol identify vulnerabilities, implement complex cryptography, and conduct formal verification. He believes that stronger security assurances will become feasible and will also become necessary, because AI will continually discover vulnerabilities that can be exploited in systems. Vitalik revealed that about 1 months ago, he updated information without using a user interface (UI) for the first time, asking only a local ENS agent to write a script, and the operation was completed in about AI minutes. He expects that, through 5 directly executing complex on-chain operations will gradually become commonplace, and AI will become the new user interface in more scenarios. Citing a Safe-related hacking incident involving approximately AI in losses, he pointed out that the attack targeted the interaction layer between users and the on-chain system, rather than the on-chain contract. 1400000000 USD directly handling transactions may reduce the risks associated with relying on web interfaces, but it will also introduce new challenges, including whether AI itself is secure, whether it can withstand prompt injection, and whether it correctly understands on-chain operations. As interaction methods change rapidly, some problems will be resolved while new security challenges will also emerge.AI Vitalik said
Key points
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Vitalik Buterin said in Singapore OKX Now 2026 summit that AI is demonstrating the ability to break out of sandboxes, attack websites, and discover software vulnerabilities.
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Vitalik said that AI is also helping the Ethereum protocol identify vulnerabilities, implement complex cryptography, and conduct formal verification.
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Vitalik revealed that about 1 months ago, he asked a local AI agent to write a script and updated ENS information without using a user interface; the operation took about 5 minutes to complete.
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Vitalik expects that, through AI directly executing complex on-chain operations will gradually become commonplace, and AI will become the new user interface in more scenarios.
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Citing a Safe-related hacking incident involving approximately 1400000000 USD in losses, Vitalik said that the attack targeted the interaction layer between users and the on-chain system, rather than the on-chain contract.
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Vitalik said that AI directly handling transactions may reduce the risks associated with relying on web interfaces, but it will also bring challenges, including AI its own security, prompt injection, and whether it can correctly understand on-chain operations.
AI-assisted interpretation
The following is analysis, separate from reported facts. Verify important claims independently.
The new user interface referred to here means that users do not need to click through web pages step by step themselves, but can describe their requirements to a local AI agent, which then has AI write a script and execute on-chain operations. Vitalik believes this approach may reduce some risks in the web interaction layer, but AI may also be affected by prompt injection or misunderstand the intended operation, so automatic execution by AI cannot be equated with absolute security.
Why it matters to readers
If AI directly handling on-chain transactions becomes commonplace, the way users interact with blockchain systems may change; at the same time, security concerns will expand to AI the agent itself, whether instructions have been tampered with, and whether transaction intent has been correctly understood.
Beginners should understand that having AI act on their behalf does not mean they can ignore the confirmation steps. For on-chain transactions, they should still check whether the content actually generated and executed by AI matches their intent.
Risks and unknowns
The original text is a secondhand account of Vitalik's remarks and does not provide the summit's original speech or a complete transcript.
ENS The update experience is not accompanied by a script, transaction record, or independent demonstration, so it cannot be verified based on the available material.
The approximately 1400000000 USD in losses and the assessment of the attack layer in the Safe-related incident are not supported by further evidence in the material.
Related Developments
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AI Whether directly executing complex on-chain operations will become commonplace is a prediction; actual adoption is unknown.
AI It remains uncertain whether it can safely resist prompt injection and correctly understand on-chain operations.
Related concepts
user interface (UI）
This term is not in the glossary yet. Browse related concepts in the glossary.
