ETHTaipei interview with Vitalik: Cancun upgrade, quantum threat, AI+Crypto
Arrangement Compilation: Karen, Kean, Foresight News
At the ETHTaipei 2024 conference that opened today, Vitalik Buterin was interviewed by many media, including Foresight News, on hot issues such as Cancun upgrade, response to potential quantum threats, AI Crypto, Ethereum re-pledge, decentralized social networking, etc. Shared his own views and made suggestions for non-native English speakers and new blockchain developers.
In addition, Vitalik Buterin also discussed the centralization risks of Ethereum staking and mentioned a new conceptual framework Rainbow Staking. The framework enables the integration of the right interfaces for further protocol services in a plug-and-play manner, targeting Minimum Viable Issues (MVIs) and countering the emergence of the dominant LST replacing ETH as the Ethereum network currency; by providing differentiated services Competitive participation in categories enhances the economic value of individual stakeholders; and helps achieve SSF (Single Slot Finality).
Image source: ABMedia
The following is Vitalik Buterin’s response to media questions:
It seems that you are more active on Farcaster than on Twitter. Can decentralized social applications like Farcaster really compete with Web2 social applications? Or can it subvert the social model?
Vitalik Buterin：Yeah, I think one of the interesting things about social is that it has network effects, but it also has anti-network effects. Twitter is a platform for all kinds of people, but it’s also a place for the really annoying people. I found that Farcaster has also accumulated enough users, and it is very interesting. I can get higher quality interactions on this platform, although it still needs to be perfected.
I think that Twitter may differentiate between high-quality content and people, low-quality content and people, and many people criticize these mechanisms, including management and Blue V certification, thinking that they may become a centralized tool or privileged service. to specific viewpoints and specific groups. The Crypto space and many non-financial applications, such as Ethereum, fundamentally solve this problem and try to solve this type of trust problem. Decentralized social networking can really solve this problem.
Another important feature about Farcaster is that it is not a server, but a shared platform. So, in principle, you can use your own client, and your client can read or write the same content, and all users on the network can see it. I think this could definitely be a place for people to start experimenting with creating their own clients and adding interesting new features. For example, you can imagine people posting their own community notes on Farcaster, or posting various AI-based discussions or even predictions. On Farcaster, you could imagine people creating their own mechanisms to identify high-reputation participants and low-reputation participants, etc. Different groups may use different approaches. All these things can be done by different clients.
Another thing that excites me is that I think Farcaster is an app that is particularly useful, smooth, and easy to use, and is being used by some non-crypto people. I think this is something that many apps dont do, and it sets a template for other similar apps.
How does the Dencun upgrade contribute to the Ethereum ecosystem? Is this upgrade better than expected?
Vitalik Buterin：The purpose of the Cancun upgrade is to significantly improve scalability and significantly reduce Layer 2 (especially Rollups) transaction fees. The upgrade does this by creating an independent data space within each block that cannot be accessed by the EVM. This is important because it also means that when clients validate an Ethereum block, they do not have to simultaneously access this data. We have seen a significant drop in Layer 2 fees over the past week, and again I need to remind everyone that these fees may increase again as the number of users and blocks increases, as users and transactions increase, but this is still a A pretty significant scalability improvement upgrade.
Regarding your second question, it depends on your understanding of good. From a technical perspective, the upgrade is going well and is better than any previous fork. However, the usage is a bit low, the target is to include 3 blobs per chunk, but the average usage is only one blob. I think usage will increase over time, but right now its really good news for Rollups because its going to be very cheap, but Im expecting usage to increase in the coming months.
How do you think Ethereum responds to the pressing question of the threat of quantum computing, and what impact does this have on the broader cryptocurrency ecosystem?
Vitalik Buterin：In terms of quantum computing threats, I think there are several aspects that need to be considered. First of all, the Ethereum Foundation has realized the potential threats of quantum computing and will have some relevant standards and guidelines. From a technology perspective, we already have quantum-resistant algorithms for every area that is vulnerable to quantum attacks. For example, a quantum computer can break existing elliptic curve signatures, but we already have multiple quantum-resistant algorithms such as hash functions, Winternitz signatures, etc.
Another question is how to deal with the impact of quantum enablement on the entire cryptocurrency ecosystem. In this regard, we need to make the Ethereum consensus layer quantum-resistant. There will be some engineering challenges, as our current approach relies heavily on using efficient BLS signatures. And any quantum-based approach would be even more inefficient. This is one of the reasons Ive been pushing for the 8192 signature number to be adopted first. We need to give ourselves more room to adjust to inefficient algorithms that may be needed. Meanwhile, researchers are working hard to optimize, measure and benchmark post-quantum alternatives.
Overall, we need to consider multiple aspects, including adopting quantum-resistant algorithms, adjusting consensus layers, researching post-quantum alternatives, etc., to address quantum-enabled security challenges for Ethereum and the entire cryptocurrency ecosystem.
In your opinion, what are the benefits of combining AI with cryptocurrencies? How will this reshape the industry? You discussed the role of AI in debugging code in February, can you provide more thoughts on how AI is used in crypto and Ethereum?
Vitalik Buterin：AI and cryptocurrency are two very important technology trends of our time. There is a saying that AI tends to be centralized, while cryptocurrencies are striving to be decentralized. There is a certain complementary relationship between the two. But the question is, can we move from this concept to actual application examples, in a way that makes sense and is productive for both.
One of them is that AI is involved in predicting markets and other types of markets on Ethereum, basically making the markets more micro and creating APIs that can function within them. Another is using AI as part of the wallet to help users understand the crypto environment they are interacting with. The third is to use cryptography, including ZK, SNARK, MPC, etc., to embed AI to create a safe, powerful and privacy-protecting AI model, making it a central participant in on-chain applications, whether it is DApps or Oracles, etc. other forms. And then the fourth one is that if its successful it can be used for AI in other areas.
Of these applications, I think the first two are the most obvious short-term applications, while the last two are more speculative. I definitely don’t want to give people the impression that the application of artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency is going to be the next big narrative, driving the industry forward or anything like that. But I do think these intersections are worthy of further study.
In addition, another application is that AI can perform rolling debugging of code. One of the biggest challenges currently facing the encryption field is code errors and vulnerabilities. One promising possibility is that AI can greatly simplify the process of using formal verification tools to prove that a set of code satisfies specific properties.
What do you think of the Ethereum re-staking wave?
Vitalik Buterin：Re-staking is indeed an interesting idea, but there are risks that demand will be taken over by centralized actors, as well as various systemic risks and impacts on the Ethereum validator set. I know there are some projects going on looking at some different approaches, so far Im just observing the field and looking forward to seeing what the future holds.
What has surprised you most about the growth and evolution of cryptocurrencies? What do you think the cryptocurrency industry will look like in 5 years?
Vitalik Buterin：The development of NFTs and Meme tokens has surprised me the most. The technology side is the rapid advancement of zero-knowledge technology, which is happening much faster than we expected.
Can you give any advice to new blockchain developers?
Vitalik Buterin：I think the most important thing is to get yourself motivated to get involved and stay involved, to actually start joining and becoming part of the community. It is much more important to find a clear direction and then make something that truly works than to just not make it. You can also try joining the field by writing, which is a way to push yourself.
Do you have any specific advice for non-native English speakers participating in the public goods ecosystem?
Vitalik Buterin：First of all, if you have a certain level of English skills, it is valuable to translate some content, summarize some information, or actively participate in the co-construction of some protocols (communities), because many protocols are trying to welcome more people from all over the world Participate, or become a voter or badge holder.
