The company Ethlabs proposed accelerating Ethereum's transition to post-quantum security and making the network resistant to potential threats from artificial intelligence as early as 2027. The initiative, called pqai27, was presented at the Ethereum Magicians forum following discussions with core developers during Devcon.

According to Ethlabs representatives, the development of AI is bringing the timeline for the emergence of cryptographic threats closer. Modern models already help solve complex mathematical problems and find vulnerabilities in software. This, according to the company's assessment, makes it harder to predict when existing cryptographic mechanisms may become unreliable.

Ethlabs calls for accelerating Ethereum's post-quantum transition

The company noted in the post that quantum threats could emerge sooner than expected. In particular, the US government has moved its target deadline for addressing the quantum risk problem from 2035 to 2030, and Google plans to transition to post-quantum cryptography by 2029.

At the same time, Ethlabs drew attention to the capabilities of AI in the field of cybersecurity. As an example, the company cited OpenAI, which, using an internal model, discovered and fixed about 1,000 vulnerabilities in Linux.

Therefore, the authors of the initiative believe that Ethereum should prepare not only for quantum computing but also for AI systems capable of finding errors in software and cryptographic algorithms.

For this, they propose using cryptography with a minimal number of assumptions regarding its security, as well as expanding formal verification of software code. Ethlabs names the diversity of clients and the decentralized set of validators as important advantages of Ethereum in this context.

Changes in the Ethereum roadmap

The pqai27 initiative provides for a review of the priorities of the future Hegotá hard fork. Ethlabs proposes postponing changes that are not critically necessary for the transition to post-quantum security.

In particular, the company calls for reconsidering the inclusion of the FOCIL proposal, which is currently one of the key components of the consensus-layer upgrade. According to the initiative's authors, it could delay the transition to post-quantum consensus.

At the same time, the Frames proposal, which is intended to expand the capabilities of Ethereum accounts, is planned to be retained. Ethlabs considers it part of the critical path to pqai27. Among other priorities are post-quantum signature aggregation and data availability.

The company also proposes to split the achievement of post-quantum readiness into two stages:

Within the proposed plan, the first stage is to be implemented in 2027, and the second — as an ambitious goal for the same year.

Fast slots may be postponed until 2028

As part of shifting Ethlabs' priorities, the company also announced the withdrawal of its proposal for fast slots with Hegotá. The company explained that it wants to direct resources toward implementing pqai27.

At the same time, Ethlabs representatives emphasized that they are not abandoning the very idea of accelerating slots and plan to continue working on it in 2028.

According to the company's assessment, Ethereum has a chance to become reliable infrastructure for the global economy thanks to enhanced security and resistance to censorship. By the end of 2028, Ethlabs aims to see the network not only post-quantum and resistant to AI threats, but also faster and more useful for a wider range of users.

At the same time, pqai27 is currently a proposal from Ethlabs, not an approved Ethereum upgrade plan. Its implementation will depend on the decisions of the network's core developers.

Recall that earlier the expert explained why Ethereum will become the main store of value.