Vitalik Buterin Urges Bold Ethereum Application-Layer Innovation, Floats New AI and Privacy Ideas

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin deliberately contributed to an Ethereum proposal document under a pseudonym to test claims that AI can pierce online anonymity by analyzing writing style. The experiment touches on identity privacy in open-source collaboration and aligns with his roadmap to make privacy a top-level objective of the Ethereum protocol.

Thirteen days after the challenge was made public, initial reports said no one had used AI to correctly identify Vitalik’s anonymous contribution, making the test a direct counterexample to claims that AI will inevitably destroy anonymity. However, the headline of the latest related report says he has confirmed that AI successfully identified him, contradicting the event summary. Without a disclosed date, model or verification record, the final conclusion remains unclear.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin argues that blockchain should not replicate the centralized model through which Google and Apple control platforms and data. Instead, it should create digital spaces with no single owner. His concept of “sanctuary technology” centers on privacy, censorship resistance and self-governance, allowing individuals to retain digital autonomy in the face of AI and large institutions.

Buterin has recently gone further by positioning Ethereum as a digital sanctuary for humanity. He advocates privacy protections, censorship-resistant mechanisms and “de-totalization” to distribute power across the system and prevent outside forces from gaining absolute control. The proposals remain a direction for technological development, with no formal launch date, investment amount or timetable for a standalone product announced.

Ethereum’s existing EVM and 16-ary Keccak Merkle Patricia Tree have accumulated complexity and created bottlenecks for zero-knowledge proofs. Vitalik Buterin is advocating simultaneous simplification of the execution layer and state structure. The issue is central to the Ethereum Foundation’s push for scalability, security and decentralization: if only a handful of engineers understand the underlying system, users must still place their trust in core developers.

The roadmap released on March 2, 2026, shows that EIP-7864 proposes switching to a binary state tree, which could cut Merkle branch bandwidth requirements by 75% and improve proof efficiency three- to fourfold. RISC-V would be introduced in three phases and ultimately replace the EVM. Speaking with Wanxiang Blockchain Chairman Xiao Feng at the Hong Kong Web3 Festival on April 22, Buterin reiterated that simplification was the priority. Although an AI experiment produced a prototype of the 2030 roadmap within weeks, half of the resulting speed gains should still be devoted to testing and formal verification.