AI Speeds Up Quantum Threat to Crypto, Experts Warn

Researchers now warn that artificial intelligence is speeding up the timeline for quantum computers to break the encryption underlying cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. The convergence of AI and quantum computing is creating a new urgency for post-quantum cryptography.

"The security landscape of the future is going to be different," said Alex Pruden, CEO of Project Eleven, a quantum-resistant infrastructure firm. AI is being used both offensively to find vulnerabilities and defensively to audit code. Meanwhile, the "harvest now, decrypt later" threat means encrypted data collected today could be broken in years.

Networks like NEAR, Ethereum, and Solana are already planning migrations to quantum-resistant systems. Near co-founder Illia Polosukhin noted AI accelerates quantum development: "It's feeding into itself." The result is a future where security must be adaptive, not static.