Cryptographers get nervous: AI may find elliptic-curve shortcut before quantum computers

Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake urged the industry to start planning for the scenario where AI finds an algorithmic shortcut through elliptic curves before a quantum computer arrives. The trigger was hundreds of new math results from OpenAI and Anthropic models, including a disproof of the 3SUM conjecture.

• Drake outlined a "bunker mode" scenario for defending cryptography against AI
• OpenAI and Anthropic models produced hundreds of new math results
• AI disproved the 3SUM conjecture, an example of an algorithmic shortcut
• Post-quantum cryptography has been deployed in browsers since 2024