The crypto industry has united against the AI monopoly: an open letter demands equal access to models.
The Bitcoin Policy Institute, together with dozens of companies from the digital assets, cybersecurity, and open-source development sectors, has sent an open letter to the world's largest AI labs. The core demand is to provide vetted open-source developers with reliable access to cutting-edge artificial intelligence models to protect financial infrastructure.
This is not about privileges, but about a fundamental necessity. Open source has long become the financial foundation: the Bitcoin network alone safeguards assets worth over a trillion dollars, and the entire digital currency ecosystem—from wallets and cryptographic libraries to custodial systems, exchanges, and payment networks—manages sums in the trillions of dollars. Behind this software stand the personal savings of millions of people, pension funds, and reserve funds. A single vulnerability can destroy wealth accumulated over years.
Defenders at a Disadvantage
The situation is critical: attackers are actively using the latest AI tools, while defenders are forced to work with less powerful open-weight models. Public interfaces of the labs often block legitimate security tasks, forcing researchers to conduct crucial checks on outdated systems. Maintainers of Bitcoin Core and other key projects are effectively deprived of access to tools that are already being used against them.
The Bitcoin Policy Institute has received several independent reports from maintainers: experienced hackers, likely from other countries, are conducting continuous AI-assisted attacks, and small teams simply cannot keep up with such a pace. Even when systems remain secure, constantly responding to sophisticated attacks diverts resources from development and routine security work.
What the Coalition Demands
The authors of the letter insist on creating or expanding permanent trusted access programs for qualified defenders of open financial infrastructure. This should include early controlled access to the most powerful models, including pre-release versions, sufficient computing resources, and the ability to run autonomous agents for long-term tasks. Without this, comprehensive security audits are impossible.
Separately, the need for secure environments for analyzing private or closed-source code is emphasized, as well as the right of small non-profits and independent maintainers to participate on equal footing with large corporations and states. The coalition proposes creating direct channels for coordinated vulnerability disclosure and coordination with lab security teams.
The letter was signed by representatives of Coinbase, Block, Blockstream, BitGo, Anchorage Digital, Bitwise, Trezor, MARA, Foundry, Galaxy, Strategy, Strike, River, and dozens of other organizations.
My analysis: this is not just a request for access—it is a signal of systemic imbalance. While AI labs sell their products to anyone willing, including attackers, defenders of critical infrastructure are left out in the cold. Without equal conditions, the cyber arms race will be lost before it even begins. The industry needs not a charitable gesture, but a strategic partnership; otherwise, the cost of a mistake will be measured in billions.