Cryptographer warns AI may break public-key encryption
He estimated a 1% chance of living in Minicrypt—a hypothetical world where encryption is impossible—and a 15% chance of losing confidence in current algorithms. Green argued that AI’s rapid innovation outpaces human ability to update standards, even with AI assistance, making proactive preparation critical.
Key points
- Matthew Green estimates 1% chance of living in *Minicrypt*, where public-key encryption fails
- Green says AI’s pace of innovation outstrips human ability to update encryption standards
- His warning follows debates on AI’s broader security and governance risks, including hard budget caps
Green referenced Minicrypt, a concept from cryptographer Russell Impagliazzo, to highlight the risk. His post followed recent discussions on AI’s impact on security, including a prior tweet about hard budget caps for AI systems. The warning underscores concerns about AI’s potential to undermine foundational cryptographic practices.
Quoting Matthew Green
Simon Willison · 9 October 2026Loading the full article…
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