Vitalik Buterin Explains Why everyone is Wrong About AI

AI is a hot topic in the tech world: inevitable superintelligence or just a simple tool? A heated debate launched by Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum. What if the real danger did not lie in AI itself, but in our inability to control it? Let’s enter the war of scenarios for 2040.

In brief

• Vitalik Buterin questions: is AI an existential threat or just a simple tool? His uncertainty reflects a debate without consensus.
• Scenarios for 2040: Between Terminator and decentralized utopia, Ethereum proposes blockchain solutions to control AI.
• Transparency, open source or emergency switches? No perfect answer against AI, but avenues to explore.

Vitalik Buterin: A Vague Definition of “Superintelligence” is at the Center of the AI Controversy

This is not a technical question but rather a philosophical one opposing supporters of the “AI 2040” scenario (a superintelligence by 2040) to its detractors. Some, like Daniel Kokotajlo (ex-OpenAI), see ASI (Artificial Superintelligence) as an existential threat to be stopped. For others like Yann LeCun (Meta), it is a chimera because current models are just auto-completing machines. Vitalik Buterin plays the disillusioned referee:

If I believed the current AI is a normal technology, I would be on the side of the detractors. If I believed ASI would arrive by 2030, I would be close to the AI 2040 camp. But I don’t know… and that is the problem.

His Plan A? Total transparency and an emergency switch to stop dangerous AI trainings. But even he admits that humanity might be stuck between naive and naive squared… Between those who believe everything will be fine and those who think they can control everything.

2040: The End of the World? Is Ethereum Going to Save the Day?

What if 2040 was similar to “Terminator”? Alarmists even see an uncontrollable AI, erasing jobs, manipulating markets, or worse… But in this nightmare, Ethereum and its blockchain could play saviors. How? By making AI accessible to all through transparent smart contracts and DAOs. Indeed, Vitalik Buterin imagines a system where:

• AI models would be open source (avoiding domination by a few giants like Google or Meta);
• Critical decisions would be voted on by the community via decentralized governance mechanisms;
• “Kill switches” (emergency switches) would be automated and tamper-proof thanks to the blockchain.

The only problem is that Ethereum itself cannot guarantee global coordination. If China or the United States refuse to play along, ASI could still emerge in the shadows. Again, decentralization will have its limits.

AI reflects our fears: control or chaos? Vitalik Buterin reminds us that the real debate is not about whether ASI will arrive but about how we will manage its risk. And you, are you ready to trust Ethereum to save humanity?