More than three dozen bitcoin and crypto companies have asked the largest AI labs to give open-source security researchers early access to their most capable models, arguing that the people defending a trillion dollars of infrastructure are working with weaker tools than those attacking it. The letter, organized by the Bitcoin Policy Institute, was signed by Coinbase, Block, BitGo, Blockstream, Anchorage Digital, ARK Invest, Bitwise, Foundry, Casa, Exodus, and others, alongside nonprofit developer funds including Brink, Chaincode, and Btrust.
The Core Complaint
The letter's central argument is that Bitcoin Core developers, the small group maintaining the software that runs the network, cannot access the programs that AI labs run for trusted security partners. When they turn to publicly available models instead, the safety filters designed to stop people from writing malware also block efforts to find flaws before criminals do.
That leaves defenders on open-weight models, which can be freely downloaded but are generally less capable. Attackers face none of those constraints. The letter notes that AI labs and a handful of partners can see new offensive capabilities months before anyone else, while those capabilities spread anyway through public models, stolen access to corporate systems, and purpose-built hacking tools.
Real-World Stakes
The signatories point to recent exploits against BTCPay Server and Lightning nodes, uncovered in part by an AI-powered volunteer team called the Bitcoin Red Team, as evidence that AI tools can find real vulnerabilities. The argument is that giving security researchers access to more powerful models would lead to more discoveries before attackers exploit them.
The stakes are substantial. The Bitcoin network secures over a trillion dollars in value, and the software that runs it is maintained by a relatively small group of developers. If those developers are working with less capable AI tools than the attackers targeting the network, the asymmetry creates a systemic risk that affects every Bitcoin holder.
Five Specific Requests
The signatories are asking AI labs for five things: early access to the strongest cyber-capable models, including before public release; enough computing budget to run meaningful security analysis; secure testing environments that allow work on sensitive vulnerabilities; direct communication channels to AI lab security teams; and clear policies that distinguish between legitimate security research and malicious use.
These requests are modest in scope but significant in principle. They would essentially extend the trusted-partner programs that already exist for government and large corporate security teams to the open-source developers who maintain critical financial infrastructure.
The Policy Dimension
The letter touches on a broader policy debate about how AI labs balance safety with access. Safety filters on public models are designed to prevent misuse, but they can also block legitimate research. The crypto industry's argument is that this balance is currently tilted against defenders, creating a gap that attackers are already exploiting.
This debate extends beyond Bitcoin. The same dynamics affect blockchain networks like Solana and other critical infrastructure where security researchers race to find vulnerabilities before attackers do. The outcome of this conversation between the crypto industry and AI labs could shape how security research is conducted across the entire technology sector.
Why This Matters Now
The timing of the letter is deliberate. AI labs are actively developing their next generation of models, and the policies they set for security access will determine whether the people defending critical infrastructure can use the same tools as the people attacking it. The crypto industry's unified front, with major firms and developer organizations signing alongside each other, signals that this is a priority issue for the sector.
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