Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin is urging the crypto and artificial intelligence industries to rethink how they converge, warning that the race toward artificial general intelligence (AGI) risks repeating the same problems of unchecked speed, centralization, and concentration of power that blockchain technology was designed to resist.

In a recent post on X, Buterin revisited ideas he first shared two years ago, arguing that the current push toward ever-more powerful AI systems mirrors a “move fast at all costs” mindset. According to him, this approach overlooks broader questions around human freedom, security, and long-term societal impact.

Slowing Down the AGI Race

Rather than focusing solely on building stronger and more autonomous AI systems, Buterin believes the priority should be guiding AI development responsibly. He stresses the need to avoid both catastrophic long-term AI risks and more immediate, everyday failures such as data leaks, misuse, and overreliance on centralized providers.

In his view, the challenge is not just technological, but philosophical: choosing a direction that distributes power more evenly and preserves individual autonomy instead of accelerating blindly toward AGI.

Ethereum as Infrastructure for AI

Buterin outlined a near-term vision where Ethereum could serve as a key , though not exclusive , layer of infrastructure for AI systems. He highlighted several practical use cases, including:

  • Privacy-preserving AI access, such as running models locally or interacting with them without revealing personal data

  • Anonymous or pseudonymous payments for AI services, reducing reliance on centralized intermediaries

  • Cryptographic verification, allowing users to check how AI systems behave rather than trusting providers blindly

These tools, he argues, could help shift AI away from closed platforms toward more transparent and user-controlled systems.

Enabling AI-to-AI Coordination

Beyond human use, Buterin also described how Ethereum could enable economic coordination between AI agents. Using blockchain-based mechanisms, AI systems could pay one another, post security deposits, build reputations, and resolve disputes without depending on a single company or authority.

Combined with AI tools that help humans evaluate decisions and outcomes, this framework could finally allow long-discussed concepts like decentralized governance to function at real-world scale.

Choosing Direction Over Acceleration

Summing up his position, Buterin emphasized that both Ethereum and his vision for AI share a common goal: intentional progress rather than unchecked acceleration.

“To me, Ethereum, and my own view of how our civilization should do AGI, are precisely about choosing a positive direction rather than embracing undifferentiated acceleration,” he wrote.

His message positions Ethereum not as a solution to all AI challenges, but as a foundation that could help steer AI development toward openness, accountability, and long-term human benefit.