DeFi & NFT
By Jean-Luc Maracon
1 / 15
Why AI Makes Attacks Cheaper and Faster. Venture capital firm a16z has pointed to how AI agents can identify critical weaknesses in DeFi…
2 / 15
DeFi's AI Defense Playbook. Some protocols aren't waiting around. Uniswap has rolled out an AI-integrated developer platform…
3 / 15
DeFi is in trouble. On May 27, Manuel Aráoz, co-founder and former CTO of OpenZeppelin, told investors to pull their money from major DeFi platforms — Aave, MakerDAO, Compound —…
4 / 15
The numbers are bad. Over the past year, exploits have drained more than $1.1 billion from the DeFi sector. April alone was brutal — $635 million lost across 28 separate hacks.
5 / 15
Venture capital firm a16z has pointed to how AI agents can identify critical weaknesses in DeFi code — the same kinds of weaknesses that powered past major exploits.
6 / 15
Aráoz's warning wasn't vague. He specifically named Aave, MakerDAO, and Compound — three of the most established, most audited protocols in the space.
7 / 15
But not everyone agrees the right response is to walk away.
8 / 15
Aave founder Stani Kulechov pushed back, pointing to improved infrastructure across the sector — better risk engines, more rigorous audits, stronger monitoring systems.
9 / 15
More context: Stablecoins Hit $322 Billion as Payments and DeFi Demand Surges
10 / 15
Some protocols aren't waiting around. Uniswap has rolled out an AI-integrated developer platform designed to make secure deployments easier from the start.
11 / 15
Cyvers CEO Deddy Lavid put it plainly: the environment is shifting toward AI versus AI. Attackers use AI to find vulnerabilities. Defenders use AI to spot and stop them.
12 / 15
On the operational side, the industry is adding circuit breakers, transaction monitoring, and multisig controls. These aren't glamorous, but they're practical.
13 / 15
Richard Liu, co-founder of Huma Finance, frames the challenge differently. He draws a comparison to the early days of digital commerce, when fraud was rampant and the industry…
14 / 15
See also: Crypto Card Monthly Volume Hits $7.8 Billion, Up 230% Since 2025
15 / 15
Yearn Finance developer Banteg is more cautious still, recommending users stick to mature protocols with long, proven security records.
The Currency Analytics
Want the full story?