Crypto firms call on AI labs to grant Bitcoin developers privileged access to top models
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A coalition of leading crypto companies is pressing major artificial intelligence labs to give Bitcoin and open-source security developers early, privileged access to their most advanced models, warning that today’s restrictions leave critical financial infrastructure exposed.
In an open letter released by the Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI), signatories argue that the people responsible for defending Bitcoin’s codebase and broader open-source financial tools are often shut out of the very AI capabilities that attackers may already be exploiting.
Defenders locked out while attackers experiment freely
According to the BPI, many Bitcoin Core contributors and other open-source maintainers lack access to internal security tools at AI labs and face strict guardrails when using public-facing AI models. These restrictions can block security-focused prompts, code testing, or exploit simulations, forcing defenders to rely on weaker open-weight or smaller-scale models that cannot match the capabilities of cutting-edge proprietary systems.
At the same time, the letter notes that these frontier AI models are powerful enough to comb through massive codebases, flag subtle logic flaws and misconfigurations, and rapidly prototype exploit paths. In other words, the technology that could dramatically strengthen cyber defense can just as easily be turned into a force multiplier for attackers.
The signatories warn that this imbalance is already reshaping the economics of cyber operations: sophisticated actors, including state-level adversaries, may quietly use advanced AI to escalate attacks while under-resourced open-source maintainers fight back with inferior tools.
Call for “trusted access” programs for open-source security teams
To close that gap, the letter urges frontier AI labs to “establish or expand standing trusted-access programs for qualified defenders of open-source financial infrastructure.” Under such programs, vetted security teams working on systems like Bitcoin would receive controlled, yet more permissive, access to advanced models for defensive purposes.
The aim is not to remove safety guardrails entirely, but to adapt them so legitimate researchers can perform realistic code audits, red-team tests, and exploit simulations without being blocked by generic content filters designed for the general public.
The authors frame this as a matter of public interest, not narrow corporate gain. Open-source software underpins vast portions of the global digital and financial system, and Bitcoin is presented as a prime example: its network alone now safeguards value exceeding one trillion dollars. A serious vulnerability in such infrastructure, the letter stresses, could threaten the life savings of millions of people.
Broad industry backing from exchanges, custodians, and educators
The open letter carries signatures from a wide swath of the crypto ecosystem. Supporters include the African Bitcoin Institute, Anchorage Digital, BitGo, Bitwise, Blockstream, Bull Bitcoin, MARA, Kraken, Ledger, Trezor and other firms involved in custody, exchanges, infrastructure, and education.
This mix of institutional custodians, hardware wallet makers, developers, and regional advocacy groups underlines that the request is not confined to speculative traders. Instead, it reflects concerns from organizations directly tasked with securing user funds and educating new markets about Bitcoin and open-source tools.
Several signatories have previously backed initiatives to harden Bitcoin against emerging threats such as quantum computing, emphasizing that the network’s long-term security depends on anticipating technological shifts rather than reacting after major incidents.
Frontier AI as a double-edged sword for cybersecurity
The letter describes frontier AI as a historic turning point for cybersecurity. Advanced models can:
– Analyze enormous repositories of code at machine speed
– Detect non-obvious vulnerabilities in cryptographic libraries or protocol implementations
– Suggest exploit chains that integrate multiple minor weaknesses
– Help automate complex tasks such as fuzzing, symbolic execution, and exploit development
For defenders, these same capabilities could drastically reduce the time needed to find and patch critical bugs in open-source protocols, wallets, bridges, and exchanges. The BPI characterizes frontier AI as potentially “one of the most powerful defensive technologies ever developed” – if defenders are allowed to use it fully.
However, the institute says it has already received multiple independent reports from open-source maintainers who believe sophisticated attackers, including possible foreign adversaries, are employing advanced AI-driven techniques to maintain pressure on high-value targets.
Rising wave of crypto hacks and “vulnerability apocalypse” fears
Industry data indicate that the stakes are not theoretical. Hacking activity across the digital asset sector has surged, with one recent April seeing more than 634 million dollars siphoned from crypto platforms in a single month – the worst figure since a major centralized exchange breach in early 2025 pushed monthly losses toward 1.4 billion dollars.
Security leaders point to AI-assisted vulnerability discovery as a key driver of this trend. New, highly capable models such as Claude Opus 4.8 and ChatGPT 5.5 have substantially accelerated both bug-hunting and exploit development. Mitchell Amador, chief executive of the bug bounty platform Immunefi, has described the resulting environment as a “vulnerability apocalypse” for the crypto industry: a phase in which latent flaws are being uncovered and weaponized at unprecedented speed.
Without comparable tools in the hands of defenders, the letter warns, open-source financial infrastructure risks being systematically outpaced.
Why Bitcoin and open-source infrastructure are uniquely exposed
Unlike centralized fintech platforms, many crypto and blockchain systems are public by design. Their codebases are open, their consensus rules transparent, and many of their security assumptions long-lived. This transparency is fundamental to trust and auditability but also makes them prime targets for AI-accelerated reconnaissance.
Bitcoin occupies a special position in this landscape. It is the oldest, most widely recognized crypto asset, and its network security model assumes that attackers will steadily grow more sophisticated over time. If frontier AI dramatically lowers the cost of advanced code analysis or protocol-level attacks, Bitcoin Core and related projects must evolve in step to keep the assurances they currently offer.
Open-source maintainers are also often volunteers or small teams without the budgets of large corporations. They cannot easily afford dedicated access to top-tier AI models or custom security tooling. That asymmetry makes coordinated access programs with AI labs more critical than in conventional enterprise environments.
What “trusted access” could look like in practice
The BPI and its co-signatories do not prescribe a single blueprint for cooperation, but several concrete mechanisms are implied or commonly discussed in these debates:
– Vetted researcher accounts: AI labs could offer higher-capability models and relaxed security filters to individuals and teams who pass identity verification and commit to codes of conduct focused on defensive research.
– Purpose-built security modes: Models could include specialized modes tailored to vulnerability discovery, protocol analysis, and exploit simulation, with safeguards based on the user’s affiliation and research goals.
– Logging and oversight: Usage logs, anomaly detection, and periodic audits could help ensure that access is not abused while still allowing deep technical work.
– Joint red-team programs: AI labs and crypto projects could co-organize structured red-team exercises, using advanced AI to stress-test critical infrastructure under controlled conditions.
Such frameworks would allow Bitcoin and open-source developers to benefit from frontier AI without handing unrestricted offensive power to unknown actors.
The broader AI governance question: who gets powerful tools?
The Bitcoin sector’s plea sits within a larger global debate about how to govern increasingly capable AI systems. Policymakers, labs, and civil society are wrestling with questions such as:
– Should the most advanced AI models be tightly restricted, widely accessible, or selectively shared?
– How do we distinguish between legitimate security research and malicious activity when both use similar technical methods?
– What obligations do AI developers have toward sectors that depend on open-source infrastructure for economic stability and personal savings?
By centering Bitcoin and open-source finance, the letter offers a concrete case where the benefits and harms of access are unusually stark. On one side are attacker groups and possible nation-states probing for weaknesses; on the other, small teams of maintainers guarding networks that hold hundreds of billions of dollars.
The signatories argue that neutrality – treating all users of AI models the same – is no longer realistic. They call for an explicit bias in favor of vetted defenders who protect shared, high-value public infrastructure.
Potential impacts on user safety and market confidence
If AI labs respond positively, the immediate beneficiaries would be the developers and security engineers working on Bitcoin wallets, nodes, hardware devices, bridges, and second-layer protocols. Faster discovery and remediation of bugs could reduce the risk of catastrophic exploits that might drain exchanges, compromise hardware wallets, or disrupt transaction finality.
Indirectly, everyday users could gain stronger assurances that the tools they rely on were tested not only by human experts but also by the most capable AI systems available. That could bolster confidence during periods of volatility, regulatory change, or heightened geopolitical tension, when trust in the integrity of the underlying infrastructure becomes even more critical.
Conversely, if defenders remain restricted to weaker tools while well-funded attackers quietly adopt more advanced AI, the sector could see more incidents resembling the largest historical hacks, eroding user trust and slowing institutional adoption.
What comes next for the dialogue between AI labs and crypto security teams
The open letter marks an attempt to formalize concerns that many security practitioners have voiced privately as frontier AI systems rapidly improve. The next step will likely involve direct engagement between AI lab governance teams and representatives from Bitcoin Core, major custodians, wallet providers, and independent security researchers.
Topics on the table may include:
– Criteria for who qualifies as a “defender of open-source financial infrastructure”
– Legal and compliance frameworks for sharing powerful AI tools across borders
– Technical modifications to safety guardrails that distinguish defensive from offensive use
– Funding or sponsorship models to ensure smaller open-source teams are not left behind
While there is no guarantee that AI labs will adopt all of the proposals, the pressure from organizations securing trillions in digital value is difficult to ignore.
A race between attack and defense
At its core, the message from the Bitcoin Policy Institute and its partners is that the contest between attackers and defenders is being reshaped by AI faster than most people realize. If advanced models remain primarily in the hands of large labs and well-resourced adversaries, open-source financial systems could become a test case for how unequal access to AI can destabilize critical infrastructure.
If, instead, vetted defenders gain timely, meaningful access to frontier tools, AI could help usher in a more resilient era for Bitcoin and the broader crypto ecosystem – one where vulnerabilities are identified and patched before they can threaten users’ savings or the credibility of decentralized finance as a whole.