The crypto industry demands that AI labs open access to flagship models: a question of survival
The Bitcoin Policy Institute, together with dozens of leading players in the crypto industry, has issued a consolidated appeal to the world's largest artificial intelligence laboratories. The essence of the demand is simple and categorical: to provide verified open-source developers with reliable and regulated access to cutting-edge AI models. This is not about privilege, but about a critical necessity to protect financial infrastructure valued in the trillions of dollars.
The letter was signed by such giants as Coinbase, Block, Blockstream, BitGo, Anchorage Digital, Bitwise, Trezor, MARA, Foundry, Galaxy, Strategy, Strike, and River. They were joined by dozens of other companies from the digital asset, cybersecurity, and open-source development sectors. This is not just a polite request—it is a signal of a systemic imbalance that is growing every day.
Infrastructure defenders are left without the strongest tools
The situation that has developed over recent weeks has exposed a troubling gap. Specialists who daily defend Bitcoin's networks and other open protocols against increasingly sophisticated attacks are forced to work with outdated and less powerful tools. While attackers are actively arming themselves with the latest AI solutions, defenders are denied access to the most advanced models that could radically shift the balance of power.
In my assessment, this imbalance is already one of the main threats to the ecosystem. Open-source security is the foundation on which trust in digital assets rests. And if we do not give defenders adequate tools, we are deliberately weakening that foundation.
Why access to top-tier models is critical
Advanced AI systems are capable of analyzing vast amounts of code, identifying vulnerabilities, and automating complex checks. However, today, access to them for independent researchers and Bitcoin Core maintainers is extremely limited. Public interfaces often block legitimate security work, forcing specialists to settle for less powerful open-weight models. This puts them at a deliberate disadvantage in the arms race with cybercriminals.
The coalition demands not just formal access, but the creation of full-fledged trusted testing programs. These should include early controlled access to the strongest models, including pre-release versions, sufficient computing power, and secure environments for analyzing closed-source code. Particular emphasis is placed on the need to provide such capabilities to small non-profit and independent teams on par with large corporations and states.
What this means for the market
This appeal is an important marker of the industry's maturity. We see the crypto community recognizing that the future of security depends on a symbiosis with AI. However, in my view, laboratories will resist, fearing abuse and leaks. The key issue will be participant verification and the creation of reliable communication channels. If dialogue does not begin, we risk a situation where vulnerabilities are found not by white-hat hackers, but by those who use them for harm.