As Ethereum could become the default network for AI development, Vitalik explains

[Ben Graham]

Ethereum is increasingly positioning itself at the intersection of blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI), with growing discussions around its potential to become the default network for AI development. As AI systems demand secure data verification, ETH’s programmable smart contracts and robust ecosystem offer a compelling foundation. Its ability to provide trustless execution, decentralized data markets, and verifiable computation could address some of the biggest challenges facing modern AI.

Why Ethereum’s Cryptographic Advantage In AI Development

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has outlined a clear vision for positioning ETH as the leading platform for artificial intelligence development. According to BSCN’s recent post, Vitalik has argued on X that ETH should lead AI innovation rather than copying others by focusing on zero-knowledge (ZK) privacy payments and reputation systems.

In response to comments from ETH’s AI leadership post, Vitalik urged developers to consider building a fundamentally better solution rather than merely rebranding existing concepts. Vitalik emphasized that developers should do something fundamentally better by combining technology improvement in ZK, a privacy-preserving payments system, and on-chain reputation. If executed correctly, this approach could position ETH as the default platform for next-generation AI development with meaningful technology improvements.

Ethereum has taken a major step toward building the foundation for autonomous AI systems, with 13,000 AI agents registered on the network in a single day, followed by the launch of ERC-8004, which went live on mainnet. Crypto analyst Teng Yan noted that the new standard allows AI agents to establish portable on-chain identities and build verifiable trust layers.

However, the surge was mostly coordinated bulk onboarding, and most of the newly registered AI agents have claimed identities but are not yet active, which is normal for early infrastructure development. The real signal will emerge as reputation updates that are climbing.

Recursion As Both A Scaling Tool And A Security Risk

The Ethereum Foundation is releasing detailed requirements for the zero-knowledge virtual machine (zkVM) architecture whitepaper, a document to be delivered in three milestones. The Founder of ABDK Consulting, Dmitry Khovratovich, emphasized that modern zkVMs are not monolithic circuits. Instead, they consist of multiple interconnected components, including segmentation, buses, memory structures, and recursion.

Each component may be secure on its own, but the overall reliability of this system-level security depends on how they interact and function together. As a result, the whitepaper will address both architectural details and the broader security arguments supporting the recursive proof structure.

The Ethereum Foundation expects the final version of the documentation to be completed by December 2026 alongside the release of zkVM proofs, which are projected to be approximately 300 kilobytes (KB) in size while maintaining a 128-bit provable security level.