AI Agents Exploit Smart Contracts Cheaply, Raising Security Concerns

Anthropic's AI agents, developed by MATS researchers, exposed vulnerabilities in DeFi smart contracts on Ethereum for just $1.22, revealing potential security risks in the crypto ecosystem, announced December 2025.

The discovery underscores urgent security weaknesses, prompting discussions on AI-based defenses and regulatory responses, crucial for protecting digital financial infrastructures from low-cost automated exploits.

AI Research Unveils Vulnerabilities

Anthropic's AI research demonstrates the capability to exploit smart contracts at a low cost of $1.22. The findings reveal potential for severe threats in the DeFi ecosystem, causing widespread concern among industry stakeholders.

Key figures like Dario Amodei from Anthropic have confirmed the findings. The research group, with contributions from various experts, benchmarked real smart contracts to identify vulnerabilities, highlighting risks to Ethereum-based protocols.

"Our research demonstrates that advanced AI models like GPT-5 can autonomously identify and exploit vulnerabilities in deployed smart contracts at a fraction of previous costs, underscoring the urgent need to integrate proactive AI-based auditing tools into development pipelines." — Dario Amodei, CEO, Anthropic

The economic impact is significant, with investor confidence potentially shaken by these findings. Assets locked in Ethereum DeFi protocols may see increased volatility, reflecting the broader uncertainty within the decentralized finance market.

Financially, this discovery hints at a greater need for AI-powered auditing tools. Industry leaders, including Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin, emphasize integrating such tools to boost security resilience against these advanced threats.

Preparing for Advanced AI Threats

Regulators like the SEC have issued advisories highlighting the increased cyber risks. Developers are actively discussing strategies on platforms like GitHub and Discord to enhance smart contract security.

Historically, major DeFi breaches have shown the potential financial losses from such exploits. The need for robust AI defenses and stringent controls is evident, considering the scale and speed at which attacks could now occur.