OpenAI is stepping deeper into crypto-security with the launch of EVMbench, a new testing framework designed to measure how well artificial intelligence can understand and potentially secure smart contracts on Ethereum and similar blockchains.
Smart contracts, self-executing code implemented on blockchains like Ethereum, support decentralized exchanges, lending protocols and a wide range of onchain financial applications. Because these contracts are typically immutable once implemented, vulnerabilities can be serious.
EVMbench is OpenAI’s attempt to see if modern AI systems are up to the task of helping prevent these problems. Built in collaboration with crypto investment firm Paradigm, the benchmark draws on real smart contract vulnerabilities previously uncovered through audits and security competitions.
The system measures performance across three core capabilities: identify security flaws, exploit those flaws in a controlled environment, and fix the vulnerable code without breaking the contracts.
OpenAI says the goal is to establish a clear standard for evaluating AI systems in blockchain security, especially as decentralized finance continues to secure billions of dollars in user funds. The stakes for smart contracts are only rising.
“Smart contracts routinely secure $100B+ in open source cryptoassets. As AI agents improve at reading, writing and executing code, it will become increasingly important to measure their abilities in economically meaningful environments and to encourage the use of AI systems defensively to audit and strengthen deployed contracts,” OpenAI wrote in a blog post.
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