Vitalik Buterin said that “vibecoding” technology using artificial intelligence (AI) could significantly accelerate the development of Ethereum’s 2030 roadmap, potentially bringing the planned work forward by years.
As the developers explained, in a recent experiment, they were able to use AI to build a complete version of that roadmap in a matter of days. Although there are serious errors and incomplete components.
Something built in two weeks without even an EIP (Ethereum Improvement Proposal) has major caveats and will almost certainly have many serious bugs. But six months ago, even this was well beyond the realm of possibility, and what matters is where the trends go.
Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum.
Buterin also said that AI often creates versions. “stub”That is, it is a simulated part that does not have all the necessary logic implemented. For this reason, he rejected the idea that a “single prompt” is enough to obtain highly secure code.
Increases speed, but requires mathematical verification
“Vibecoding” is the practice of describing what developers want to build in natural language. AI generates code. That is, instead of writing line by line, programmers guide the model with instructions and modify it as they go.
The Ethereum co-founder emphasized that he is a collaborator in the Lean Ethereum project. We were able to generate a mathematically verifiable proof using AI One of the more complex theorems underlying STARK (Scalable and Transparent Arguments from Knowledge) testing. STARK is a type of cryptographic proof that is key to the security of a scalable system.
“The basic principle is to formally verify everything, and AI is greatly accelerating our ability to do that,” Vitalik said. Formal verification consists of mathematically proving that: The code does exactly what it promises.
For Buterin, the use of AI should not only be about writing code faster, but also about improving security.
Probably the right way to use this is to take half the speed gain and the security gain. Generate more test cases, formally verify everything, and perform more multi-deployments.
Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Etherem.
In this framework, Vitalik raised more ambitious possibilities. This means that error-free code is no longer an idealistic aspiration. “Bug-free code, once considered an idealistic fantasy, may first become possible and then become a basic expectation,” he said.
However, he imposed a clear limit: “Perfect security is impossible.” Still, he noted that in many specific cases, it is possible to test specific statements that eliminate more than 99% of the negative consequences of failure.
From “hype” to important code
The concept of vibecoding was born in a context where AI promises that “anyone can program.” “AI is greatly accelerating programming,” Virtalik said.
In that sense, one developer claimed to have built a functional clone of the MetaMask wallet in less than 20 minutes. using the Claude platform As reported by CriptoNoticias, it’s from Anthropic, which allows you to send and receive cryptocurrencies.
Another recent case saw the introduction of smart contracts created with AI assistance. Moonwell Protocol caused a loss of USD 1.7 million. This error occurred because artificial intelligence set the price of cbETH tokens at USD 1.12 when the actual market value of cbETH tokens exceeded USD 2,200, allowing the misuse of misvalued collateral.
This accessibility is reminiscent of previous phenomena, such as the NFT (non-fungible token) boom, where technological ease allowed anyone to launch a collection without necessarily providing any real value. The same goes for structural risks. There are plenty of functional products out there, but they’re not necessarily secure or auditable.
In the context of Ethereum, the impact will be even greater. The 2030 roadmap includes technological improvements aimed at expanding networks and increasing security, and AI could accelerate that realization.
But Buterin gave no guarantee that this would happen. He spoke of “possibility” rather than certainty. The central conflict is not speed but trust. Ethereum operates as a decentralized financial infrastructure. Mistakes in the consensus layer are not small failures. It can affect billions of dollars in assets.
(Tag translation) Ethereum (ETH)
