Vitalik: What Will Blockchain Look Like in the AI Era?

This episode features a public talk by Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin at OKX NOW, OKX's global product and ecosystem conference themed "The Future Is Now." Vitalik explores how AI could reshape blockchain, privacy, and security. As zero-knowledge proofs and other cryptographic tools mature, he sees blockchains evolving beyond "programmable assets" toward "programmable data" — allowing users to prove facts without revealing the underlying information, a capability that could become increasingly important in the AI era.

Vitalik also sees AI becoming a new interface for blockchain. Instead of relying on traditional apps, users could ask AI agents to write scripts and execute on-chain actions directly. But this creates new risks, from prompt injection to AI misinterpreting user intent. Looking ahead, he expects Ethereum to become cheaper and more private, with bots and AI agents playing a much larger role in how people interact on-chain — while security increasingly extends from software all the way down to hardware.

Timeline:

00:00 AI: The Biggest Opportunity and Risk

01:20 From Programmable Assets to Programmable Data

02:35 Why Privacy Matters More in the AI Era

03:59 AI, Cyberattacks, and Software Vulnerabilities

05:30 Can AI Make Blockchain More Secure?

07:28 AI as the New User Interface

08:20 The Risks of AI Agents On-Chain

10:55 What Will Ethereum Look Like in Two Years?

12:15 When Apps and Counterparties Become Bots