NEAR co-founder Illia Polosukhin has sounded the alarm: AI-assisted hacking of smart contracts started as early as October last year. The warning, delivered in recent remarks, points to a new phase in the battle between blockchain attackers and defenders. Polosukhin argues that the same technology enabling these attacks — artificial intelligence — can also be the key to stopping them.
Why the Warning Matters
Polosukhin didn't name specific hacks or victims. But his timing is telling. The crypto industry has seen a surge in sophisticated exploits, and his statement suggests that AI is already being weaponized against smart contracts. This isn't a future threat; it's happening now. As a co-founder of a major blockchain platform, his perspective carries weight — especially when he says the industry needs to respond with the same tool attackers are using.
AI vs. AI: The Formal Verification Solution
Polosukhin advocates for using AI to enhance formal verification of smart contracts. Formal verification is a mathematical method that proves code correctness by checking every possible state. It's rigorous but slow and expensive. AI could speed up the process, making it practical for more projects. The idea is to use machine learning to identify patterns and vulnerabilities that humans or traditional tools might miss. In effect, AI becomes both the problem and the solution.
What This Means for Developers
For developers building on platforms like NEAR, Ethereum, or others, Polosukhin's message is clear: investing in AI-driven security tools is no longer optional. The arms race has begun, and the defensive side needs to catch up. That means integrating AI-assisted verification into the development pipeline, not just as an afterthought but from the start. The goal is to build smarter contracts that can withstand attacks from even smarter adversaries.
The industry now faces an unresolved question: how quickly can AI-assisted formal verification be deployed at scale? Polosukhin has not announced a specific product or initiative from NEAR, but his remarks put pressure on the entire ecosystem. The clock is ticking, and the hackers may already have a head start. The next few months will show whether the industry can match the speed of AI-assisted attackers.
