Ethereum Enters Maturity? Vitalik Discusses Scalability, Security, AI Threats, and the Reconstruction of Future Society

Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin, in a deep conversation with tech thinker Balaji Srinivasan, reflected on the progress of Ethereum technology, the growth of DeFi security, and the vision for future AI risks and digital nations (Startup Societies). He believes: Ethereum is no longer an "experiment" but has entered a new era of "practical phase."

Scalability Progress: Layer 2 has now reached 250 TPS, aiming for 5,000 next?

Vitalik stated that Ethereum has finally completed years of infrastructure: "We have finally reached the stage where we can truly realize our dreams." He pointed out that current Layer 2 solutions can handle about 250 transactions per second (TPS), and the upcoming Pectra upgrade will double the number of blobs, further increasing performance to 500 TPS, with the potential to scale to over 5,000 TPS in the coming year.

In addition, L1 will achieve a 10-fold increase in gas limit through a series of EIPs (Ethereum Improvement Proposals) before 2026. Combined with ZKVM, this will enable the entire network to reach the level of large-scale commercial applications.

DeFi Security Upgrade: Hacking Risk Reduced to 0.53%, Safer than Traditional Finance?

In recent years, the most common criticism of DeFi has been that "funds are not secure." Vitalik admitted that three or four years ago he could not confidently recommend that the average person invest their retirement funds in DeFi.

But according to the statistics he shared, the overall hacking rate of DeFi is only about 0.53%, and this number is still decreasing. For mature protocols, the risk is even lower.

"Instead of asking how much difference there is between 6% APY and 4% APY, it is better to ask: Are you willing to take the risk of 100% capital going to zero? But now this risk has clearly diminished." He emphasized that, in addition to contract security, the wallet layer's "social recovery" and account abstraction are also gradually being implemented, enhancing users' ability to independently manage their assets.

Privacy Returns: Ethereum Supports Legal Privacy Tools, ZK Technology Stands Firm on Stage

Vitalik mentioned that privacy protocols, which were previously considered to have legal risks, are now gradually being accepted. With the emergence of applications like Privacy Pools and Railway, Ethereum is creating compliant and practical privacy solutions.

He emphasized: "Privacy technology is not meant to hide criminals, but to allow ordinary people to use decentralized applications without being tracked."

New Hope for Social Platforms: Farcaster is Viewed as a Leading Open Web3 Social Network

In an era dominated by traditional social platforms, decentralized social applications like Farcaster demonstrate different possibilities. Vitalik expressed his surprise and optimism about the durability of Farcaster, calling it "the most promising social experiment in Web3."

The value of such platforms lies not only in decentralization but also in enabling people to interact with "rational and interesting" users, thereby building a truly online community.

AI advancements are concerning: from "harmless tools" to "goal-oriented intelligence"?

When discussing the future risks of AI, Vitalik admitted that he is more pessimistic than in the past. He stated that current AI can not only solve problems but also self-repeatedly learn and optimize the decision chain (Chain of Thought), which makes it possible for AI to enter the realm of "superhuman intelligence."

Although most AI today still relies on prompting, the data he cited shows that the time for AI to autonomously complete complex tasks is growing at a rate that doubles every 7 months. He also mentioned the potential risks of robots and self-replication, urging not to underestimate the challenges of the physical world and the issue of technological spillover.

Are stablecoins just "USD 2.0"? Vitalik issues a warning.

Currently, 99% of stablecoins on the market are pegged to the US dollar. Does this mean that "the dollar will dominate on-chain once again"?

Balaji's view is: "Once the dollar is put on-chain, it actually enters a completely different ruleset. It's no longer USD vs EUR, but USD vs Bitcoin vs smart contract currencies." Vitalik adds that once these currencies become "programmable and interchangeable" assets, the uses and risks of stablecoins will also be restructured.

Digital Nation Experiment Takes Off: Is Zuzalu a Prototype for Future Social Models?

Vitalik shared his participation in the "Zuzalu" community experiment. He pointed out that the scale of two months and 150 people has already demonstrated a complete model of community governance and daily operations, which will be an important reference for future "Startup Societies."

He and Balaji both believe that digital nations will become the third type of creatable entities after companies and currencies on the internet, and they may serve as a possible solution to replace modern dysfunctional governments.

Biodefense and Self-Health Revolution: The Intersection of AI and DeSci

In the post-pandemic era, both Vitalik and Balaji are concerned about how to make society more resilient to airborne infectious diseases. They advocate for the use of UV lamps, air purifiers, and personal health data dashboards, emphasizing that these tools are not technically difficult, but what society needs is rapid deployment and consensus experimentation.

They believe that "Startup Societies" is the best platform for experimenting with this type of biotechnology and data governance model.

Ethereum and its community are maturing, but still need to stay true to their original intentions.

Vitalik pointed out that if Ethereum only pursues scale and UX at the expense of decentralization, it would lose its meaning of existence. However, with the implementation of Layer 2, ZK technology, and account abstraction, Ethereum is gradually achieving the dual goals of being "decentralized and usable."

The battlefield of the future will not only involve technology but also governance models, global currency competition, and the impact of AI on social structures, and Ethereum stands at the intersection of all this.

Is Ethereum entering maturity? Vitalik discusses scalability, security, AI threats, and the reconstruction of future society. Originally appeared in Chain News ABMedia.