Vitalik Buterin Advocates for AI in Tackling Ethereum Code Bugs Amid Mixed Opinions
Summary:
Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, envisions the impactful role of artificial intelligence (AI) in resolving crucial Ethereum coding errors. He made this assertion as Ethereum gears up for the much anticipated Dencun update. However, not everyone concurs with the use of AI for detecting Ethereum code bugs. Trials by OpenZeppelin using AI for detecting vulnerabilities in Ethereum's code saw mixed results. CertiK’s Chief Security Officer, Kang Li also expressed caution about potential security risks from using AI tools like ChatGPT in coding. He suggests such tools to be best as aides to expert coders.
Vitalik Buterin, a founding member of Ethereum, posits the significant potential of artificial intelligence in mitigating one of Ethereum's principal technical challenges — the prevalent bugs in its underlying code. Making his thoughts public in a post on the 18th of February, Buterin championed the use of AI to inspect and correct errors in Ethereum's software, considering it a substantial technical threat to its system.
As Ethereum inches closer to the henceforth anticipated Dencun update set for a March 13 launch, Buterin's statements seem increasingly relevant. Dencun was established on the Goerli testnet on January 17, yet a glitch in Prsym caused a four-hour delay in the network's finalization on the testnet. Such enhancements are vital for Ethereum’s prolonged blockchain journey.
However, the efficacy of AI in detecting errors in Ethereum's code remains contested. In July 2023, OpenZeppelin ran a battery of trials leveraging OpenAI's GPT-4 to detect security flaws in Solidity smart contracts — Ethereum's foundational code language. In the course of these trials, GPT-4 managed to detect susceptibilities in 20 of the 28 given tasks. Yet when it failed, it typically corrected its oversights hastily, although at times, the software invented an inexistent vulnerability.
Parallelly, CertiK’s chief security officer, Kang Li, pointed out to Cointelegraph the possible security concerns arising from the use of AI tools like ChatGPT in coding. He suggests such tools serve best as aids to seasoned coders and can speedily interpret a code line to developers. “ChatGPT is an excellent resource for those analysing code and reverse engineering. It surely is a helpful assistant enhancing efficiency tremendously,” he acknowledges.
While Buterin exhibits substantial optimism regarding AI's future, he has cautioned developers to tread carefully while integrating AI into blockchain technology, especially in the context of high-risk applications like oracles. He highlights the need for caution as the potential failure of an AI oracle in a prediction market or a stablecoin could result in an immediate financial disaster.
Despite Buterin’s cautious optimism, the crypto world continues to soar. Vance Spencer, a steadfast crypto believer, asserts, 'Crypto is inevitable', therefore he is 'all in'.
Published At
2/19/2024 9:11:41 AM
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