Strategy, Coinbase and 40 Giants Demand Frontier AI Access to Defend Bitcoin From Hackers

As Bitcoin faces heightened security risks from advances in artificial intelligence (AI), a coalition of digital asset companies is pushing for early access to frontier AI models for open-source defenders. Led by the Bitcoin Policy Institute, Strategy and Coinbase are putting their weight behind the coalition as Bitcoin’s security architecture comes under fire.

Give Bitcoin core developers access to frontier AI models

The coalition penned an open letter to the companies building frontier AI systems, urging them to provide open-source defenders with access to their models before a mainstream rollout. Particularly, the coalition noted that Bitcoin core developers require access to these frontier AI systems to bolster the network’s defences.

Today, Bitcoin Policy Institute and a broad coalition from across the digital-asset ecosystem are publishing an open letter calling on the world’s leading AI labs to provide qualified open-source defenders with trusted access to frontier AI models.

The past several weeks have… pic.twitter.com/4C1tjvGiCe

— Bitcoin Policy Institute (@bitcoinpolicy) August 10, 2026

However, the coalition warned that without dedicated access programs, open-source defenders will lack the tools required to keep pace with evolving threats. At the moment, the defenders are limited to “less capable” open-weight alternatives for critical security reviews, while attempts to use publicly available frontier systems are blocked.

“It is clear that early access and reasonable compute budgets would help core developers produce more secure code and identify and remediate vulnerabilities before losses occur,” read the open letter.

The coalition has received the backing of industry heavyweights including Strategy, Coinbase, Anchorage Digital, Strive, Strike, MARA, and Galaxy. They hinge their request on the fact that the Bitcoin network secures over $1 trillion in value, representing the retirement savings and business capital for millions of people.

Apart from seeking early access to frontier models, the coalition urged AI companies to provide sufficient compute and long-horizon agent use to conduct security reviews. Furthermore, the digital asset firms are pushing for secure environments for analyzing private or embargoed code and a direct communication channel with lab security teams.

Already, several attempts to protect the network are underway, with Strategy and Coinbase joining the Bitcoin Security Consortium, funding open-source security research to quantum-proof Bitcoin. Back in July, Galaxy launched a $5 million Quantum Readiness Initiative for developers working on protecting the Bitcoin network from quantum computing threats. 

A jarring streak of attacks rattles the ecosystem

While Bitcoin has earned a reputation for its relative safety, the theft of over $100 million worth of BTC from Coldcard devices left a bad taste in the mouths of enthusiasts. A post-mortem revealed that the bad actors exploited a flaw in Coldcard’s code to guess users’ private keys, pilfering up to 2,055 BTC in an ongoing attack.

Since the incident, the Bitcoin community launched a spirited defence to protect user funds. A group of white-hat hackers began moving BTC from compromised Coldcard wallets using the same patterns as the bad actors.

Amid the Coldcard hack, a group of volunteers teamed up to conduct a large-scale audit of Bitcoin-ecosystem projects. Dubbed the Bitcoin Red Team, the developers uncovered 85 critical bugs in an AI-powered security sweep, with the team frantically reaching out to affected projects.

Beyond Bitcoin, the broader cryptocurrency sector has faced a torrid 2026, underscored by sky-high security breaches. Crypto hack losses topped $1 billion in the first half of 2026, with Ethereum and Solana projects recording the largest losses.

Source:: Strategy, Coinbase and 40 Giants Demand Frontier AI Access to Defend Bitcoin From Hackers