By Bardil 
The founder of Ethereum, VITALIK BUTERIN, has underscored the critical importance of privacy in the cryptocurrency space as artificial intelligence (AI) continues to advance. In a recent blog post, BUTERIN emphasized the growing need for robust privacy mechanisms in the face of AI’s increasing ability to collect and analyze data.
BUTERIN highlighted the transformative potential of technologies such as zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs, fully homomorphic encryption (FHE), and obfuscation. He noted that these tools far surpass the privacy solutions available during the cypherpunk movement of the 1990s.
“Privacy can no longer be ignored,” BUTERIN wrote. “AI is significantly enhancing centralized data collection and analysis capabilities, expanding the scope of data we voluntarily share. Future technologies, such as brain-computer interfaces, could even enable AI to read our minds. At the same time, we now possess more powerful tools to safeguard privacy, especially in the digital realm, than the cypherpunks of the 1990s could have imagined.”
He further warned that without privacy, individuals risk being subjected to constant scrutiny, stating, “Everything becomes a battle of ‘what will other people (and bots) think of what I’m doing.’ With privacy, we can maintain a balance. However, this balance is rapidly eroding, particularly in the physical realm, as modern techno-capitalism seeks to extract value from users without explicit consent.”
While BUTERIN acknowledged the need for some privacy limitations, particularly for large corporations or influential individuals, he stressed that the broader risk lies in the widespread erosion of privacy for ordinary citizens. “Society has always depended on a balance between privacy and transparency,” he said. “But from a macro perspective, the most pressing risk is that privacy will approach all-time lows, disproportionately benefiting the most powerful entities. Supporting privacy for everyone and ensuring the necessary tools are open-source, universal, reliable, and safe is one of the most important challenges of our time.”
Source: Vitalik Buterin’s Blog