Ethereum Co-Founder Warns of AI Control Risks by Big Tech Companies

According to Joseph Lubin, Consensys CEO and Ethereum co-founder, the next major turning point in the crypto industry will be driven by artificial intelligence. Autonomous agents can transact, coordinate, and verify one another on decentralized networks using crypto as a foundation for machine-driven activity. Lubin believes that increasingly intelligent interfaces will simplify complexity, allowing users to interact with crypto systems through intent rather than manual inputs, with AI acting as an intermediary between people and protocols. However, he warns that if AI infrastructure remains concentrated among large tech firms, it could lead to trouble, emphasizing the importance of decentralized systems and cryptography in ensuring accountability. Products like MetaMask are evolving to reflect this shift, with Lubin describing it as a 'new kind of neobank that you own and control,' part of a transition toward a personal money operating system. AI-powered agents could manage assets, execute transactions, and navigate the decentralized economy, allowing users to carry their personal financial system in their pocket. Lubin also discussed the rise of corporate chains on Ethereum, expecting companies to seek higher throughput and greater control over their infrastructure, and believes that assets are best issued on Ethereum's base layer for durability. Stablecoins are seen as a stepping stone toward more fully decentralized financial systems, with growth in decentralized collateral expected to enable more robust, crypto-native forms of money. Tokenization is expected to lead to a convergence of traditional finance and decentralized finance, resulting in a more granular and programmable global economy. While acknowledging longer-term technical risks like quantum computing, Lubin struck a measured tone, stating that Ethereum developers have been preparing for years and see it as part of the natural evolution of Ethereum.